Free As A Bird
by MadDogLucario96
Summary: From the ashes of Knife of Day, Matt, along with the other male Digidestined, except for Joe, form a new band. As their fame grows, will they be able to stay true to themselves or fall to the trappings of fame? Find out. Rated T for language, drug and alcohol use, and sexual references. Eventual Taiora, Koumi, Takari, and one-sided Sorato.
1. Bohemian Rhapsody

**Hi all. Been a while but I am back with my first full Digimon story. After getting my feet wet with one shots that were mostly well received, I feel like I am ready for my first chapter story.**

 **This was inspired in part by my own band and other band stories as well. Most of the songs that will be featured do not belong to me so I am warning you ahead of time, although there will be original material featured as well.**

 **So without further ado, let's start the show.**

* * *

 _Dear Journal,_

 _I am writing this to try and cope with being here. Don't know if it's going to work but we shall find out. Each day has been a new nightmare and to think it all seemed so bright at one point. Can't believe it really happened._

 _As I sit here in this rehabilitation facility, I sometimes look back and wonder whether it was all worth it. In some cases it was: we got money, fame, women. But in other cases it wasn't: we became addicted to our demons and they slowly tore us apart._

 _Now my best friend probably hates me and he thinks I hate him. I wonder: will this ever end? All I can think about is how I dragged him and my brother down into the depths of hell. This guilt I feel, will it ever go away?_

 _I guess this really all started way back before we got famous. It all began one day when my old band decided to cut me out of the loop…_

* * *

"Should we tell him?"

"I don't know how he's going to take it."

"He's gonna be mad, Hiroki. That much is certain."

Three young men stood around in a group huddle. They were in a warehouse with musical equipment scattered around the entire space: drums, guitars, a keyboard, microphones, and amplifiers. The band, called Knife of Day, were set to practice for their next gig in two weeks.

After their last few gigs flamed out, including one that got canceled due to electrical problems throughout the city, the three of them were not too sure about the band's future.

"He will be mad, Kenta, but he needs to know how we feel about this," the one called Hiroki said. "It's better than lying to him and putting on this ruse."

The door opened and in walked the other member of their group: Matt Ishida, bass player and lead singer. He placed his guitar case down on the floor and grabbed a notebook out of his backpack. With his blonde hair and boyish looks, it was easy to compare him to Kurt Cobain.

"Hey, guys," Matt greeted. "Sorry I'm late. Let's get started."

He opened up his guitar case and pulled his Fender Mustang bass out of it. He put the strap on and then put it over his head. Matt plugged his cord into his amp and turned it on. He was curious to see his band mates not have their instruments ready to go.

"Before we start, I have some new songs that we can work on for the show in two weeks. Let's go through them and see which ones we want to work on the most." He said, running through his notebook for the song that he had his mind set on.

"Matt," one of his bandmates, Kenta, spoke up but Matt continued on with his explanation.

"There's this one that I really like. I worked out some of…"

"Matt!"

"What, Kenta?" Matt finally stopped speaking. "If you've got something to say to me, say it, I'm all ears."

"Did you get my message?" Kenta asked, sounding like he was nervous for what Matt had to say.

"Message? What message?" Matt responded curiously before dismissing it quickly. "That's not important right now. We need to start working out some of these songs as soon as possible."

"Not right now, Matt." Hiroki shook his head.

All of these interruptions were getting on Matt's nerves. His body began to tense in annoyance.

"What is with you guys?" He demanded. "I'm trying to get us ready for the concert and you guys are interrupting me. If you have something to say to me, say it now. Tell me what it is you need to tell me."

Hiroki and Kenta looked at each other before looking at the other member of the group, Kaz, who raised his hands in a 'don't-get-me-involved' gesture. Hiroki pushed Kenta forward before he could do a thing about it. Kenta gives him a dirty look before turning to face their leader.

"We took a vote earlier, Matt," he explained. "And we all voted unanimously to discontinue the band."

It took a few seconds for the words to register to Matt. He stood in complete shock: his face not showing any emotion whatsoever nor did he show any signs that he was stunned by the news.

"What?" He asked calmly, making sure that he had heard correctly. "You said what? I don't believe I heard you correctly. What did you just say?"

"We took a vote and decided to discontinue the band," Kenta repeated slowly so that Matt understood what he was saying. "This is not going anywhere and the last few gigs have really been frustrating. It is all in our best interest if we stop. I know this is not what you wanted to hear but I hope you're not mad and we can all come to an understanding."

Giving a weak smile, Kenta waited patiently for Matt's response, hoping that it was not bad. He knew Matt had a reputation for being a hothead at times and hoped that this was not one of those times.

To his surprise, and to the surprise of Hiroki and Kaz, Matt did not look like a volcano about to erupt. Instead he looked as though he was trying to restrain himself from doing just that but his anger was clear.

"Oh I completely understand," Matt started calmly but just as quickly as he was calm, he flipped his lid. "How can you do this? This is outrageous! It's unfair!"

He charged towards Kenta, who pressed his forearm against Matt's chest to keep him at bay. Hiroki and Kaz came to his rescue and held Matt back by his elbows.

"How can you discontinue my band? The band I started for all of us!" Matt said, trying to break free of the hold. "And without my say in the matter!"

"Because we're going nowhere. Don't you see? We're just not good enough to land a record deal or even record an album! This is all just so hopeless." Kenta said, fearing that Matt would break free of Hiroki and Kaz's hold on him. Matt was practically foaming at the mouth like a rabid dog and wanted to charge at him.

Matt was finally released from the hold and instead of charging towards Kenta, he sat down and took a deep breath with his head in his hands. Exhaling, he finally gave his response.

"You all aren't quitting. You're all fired! Do you hear me? Fired!" He roared, motioning for them to leave. "You know what? I'm out of here. I will rebuild this band and we will make it big! You'll see, you sons of bitches!"

"Good luck replacing us, Matt," Kenta retorted. "You'll never make it anyway!"

"I'll show you!" Matt shot. "I'll show you all!"

Matt took his bass off and laid it in the case. He then shut it with a bang, locked down the locks, and got up and left. He slammed the door with a loud bang, startling the other three in the warehouse.

* * *

Matt stuffed his face with a large amount of ramen in his chopsticks while the sounds of television blared through the room. One large amount after another came in rapid succession as he tried to eat away his anger towards his now former band mates for stabbing him in the back like that. He was not so mad about them voting to discontinue the band as he was about them doing it behind his back like complete cowards.

' _Idiots!'_ He cursed them. _'They couldn't vote for it when I was there. I'll show those cowards just how much I don't need them to make it. My next band is going to be the biggest thing to come out of Japan since Nintendo.'_

Needing comfort food, he decided to go over to his mom's for a little while since his dad was at work. She was busy at the moment and TK was not around, which suited Matt just fine because he wanted to be left alone. He finally stopped stuffing himself with ramen to take a breath before shoving more noodles into his mouth.

"Hi, Matt. Do you need…?" His mother came into the living room from the kitchen but was met with Matt growling at her like an angry dog. She stepped back a little, obviously scared of him, before walking out. "Never mind then. I'll just leave you alone."

"Get me some egg rolls, will you?" He commanded as he ate some more.

"Okay, hon." Nancy replied back.

As he finished the bowl of noodles, he was about to request another one in addition to his egg rolls until a low rumble went through the entire building. He thought that it was an earthquake for a second but quickly he discovered that it wasn't. The floor was not moving in all directions like it normally would during an earthquake. Hearing crashes come along with the rumbling, it was obvious that something else was going on.

' _What is that noise?'_ Matt asked himself. He put the bowl onto the coffee table and walked out of the apartment. The sound seemed like it was coming from the basement level. Taking the elevator down, he wondered exactly what was making that sound.

The elevator soon reached the basement and the sound was growing louder, like a train charging down the tracks. Matt knew he was in the right place. Following the sound through the dark basement, only exposed light bulbs lighting the way, Matt reached a closed door. The source of the sound was pounding against the door. He reached for the door handle and opened it.

 _Boom! Crash!_

The sound of a drum solo attacked him head on like a train. A huge eight-piece drum set was set up in the center of the room and whoever was behind the set was going to town. Matt was blown away with how much power and rhythm that this drummer had. He had to ask him to join his new band.

But as he got a look at whom it was, he was stunned beyond words. A mop top of blonde hair was shown just above the toms and his face was revealed.

"TK?"

The fourteen-year-old blonde stopped his drum solo to look into the blue eyes of his brother. He sat still with his drumsticks in mid-stride as he nervously searched for an explanation for why he was playing, thinking Matt was mad at him.

"Uh…this…this is not what it looks like," he chuckled nervously.

"It looks to me like you are playing drums," Matt raised an eyebrow, his arms crossed across his chest like an authority figure would do.

"I…I uh…." TK searched for an explanation. "You're not mad are you?"

Matt stepped forward, the look on his face scaring his younger brother. His eyes were narrowed and he stood a little taller, like a father about to chastise his child for bad behavior. TK awaited Matt's response.

"I'm not mad," said Matt. "I'm absolutely furious…furious that you did not even tell me that you played drums!"

Before TK even knew what happened, he was wrapped in an embrace and was swung around the room by his absolutely ecstatic brother. At first he thought he was going to get the scolding of a lifetime but now he was just confused. Why was Matt so happy about him playing drums?

Matt put his brother down finally and squeezed his cheeks in his hands.

"Why didn't you tell me that you could play drums, Teek?" He asked.

"You never asked me if I did." TK replied, not liking the feeling of his cheeks being pinched. "What does it matter anyway?"

Matt finally let go of him. "What does it matter? WHAT DOES IT MATTER?!" He shrieked before a look of joy made its way on his face. "It means I still have a chance to get famous! My brother is giving me the key to this chance."

Matt started to run around the area like a man gone wild. He then gave TK a kiss right on the mouth. TK pushed him away, spitting and gagging to get the taste of his brother's mouth out.

"Please warn me next time you decide to kiss me again." TK wiped his mouth.

"Sorry, bro," Matt came down from his emotional high. "How would you like to be the drummer of my new band?"

TK finally had time to ask his important question. "What happened to your old band? Knife Of Day or something like that?"

Matt stopped running and turned to face his brother. "Those losers," he snarled. "I fired them. They wanted to quit the band behind my back so I decided that they were no longer of use to the music industry. But you, my brother, are going to be a famous drummer. I can see it now!" Matt hugged his brother tight again.

TK struggled to tell his brother that he was being squeezed to death. "Bro, you're squeezing me too tight."

"Oh sorry." Matt let go of his brother and started to pace the room. "How long have you been playing drums and how come you never told me?"

"Since when you were still in the Teenage Wolves, which I would say was about three years ago." TK replied. "I found a set you had and started off just goofing around on it. Then I got serious and taught myself how to play. I thought you'd be mad if you found out."

"I could never be mad at you, bro." Matt chuckled. "So what do you say? Want to join my new band?"

"Uh, sure, I guess." TK forced a smile and shrugged. Matt pumped a fist in the air and elicited a happy shriek and kissed his brother once again.

"You are the greatest, my beautiful, wonderful, little brother!" Matt ruffled his brother's hair.

"Eeugh!" TK cried in disgust. He wiped his mouth once again to get rid of the taste of his brother. "But what about other members? We will need to find some more of those. We can't be just a bass and drums duo."

Matt gave TK a sly smile. "That will be taken care of, my dear brother," he said. "How's about we call Tai and Izzy and see if they want to join the group?"

"They play music?" TK asked, wondering if his brother lost it. "I never heard of them even being able to play anything. I don't think it's a good idea."

"Who else do you suggest?" Matt retorted. "Davis? Paul McCartney? Lemmy? There's not too many other people I would trust more than them."

"Ok," TK relented with a shrug of his shoulders. "Whatever you say."

"Let's go upstairs and start calling them."

* * *

 _Tai's Apartment_

"I'm shaving in the bathtub, Shaving in the bathtub."

Tai was busy… shaving in the bathtub while in the middle of a bubble bath. He was so busy singing that he didn't notice Kari knock on the door. Kari walked in and was shocked by the sight she saw.

"Tai, is this a bad time?" Her face turned red in embarrassment at catching her brother during a private moment.

"I'm shaving in the bathtub, I'm shaving in the bathtub." Tai then turned around. His face also turned red, reflecting his sister's. "I'm shaving… uh… you forget you saw this."

"Uh…ok," she chuckled nervously before handing him the phone. "Telephone for you."

Drying his hands off, Tai took the phone and lay back in the tub with the phone to his ear.

"Tai Kamiya speaking," he greeted.

" _Hey Tai,"_ Matt's voice came from the other line.

"Hey Matt. I'm kinda busy right now so better make it quick."

" _Are you shaving in the bathtub and singing about it again?"_

Tai's eyes darted side to side. "Maybe…" he chuckled nervously. "Now tell me what you need. What's up?"

" _My old band broke up and I'm forming a new band,"_ Matt began to explain before Tai interrupted him.

"Another one?" Tai snickered. "What happened to Knife of Day or whatever it was?"

" _The guys voted to discontinue the band but I fired them all. I'm forming a new band instead. TK's gonna be my drummer but I'm in need of a guitarist or two."_ Matt explained. _"Would you be interested in possibly joining?"_

Tai was taken aback by the offer. Him in a rock band? That didn't sound right. The Japanese version of Pelé, sure, but never a big rock n roll star.

"Why are you asking me?" He asked. "I can't even play a triangle let alone a guitar. Plus I can't even afford one. My financial situation is not too good right now."

" _Doesn't matter. Find one and learn how to play because you are going to be in the band,"_ Matt replied, shutting down Tai's argument. _"I'm short on options and I believe you'd be perfect for it."_

"Well…I guess," Tai replied in an unconvincing tone. "I guess I could."

" _Great! We start practice in two days."_

"Two days?!" Tai's eyes widened in horror; how could he learn to play the guitar well enough in just two days? It was impossible. It couldn't be done. "I can't learn how to play well enough in just two days."

" _No excuses."_

"But…" The line cut off before Tai could ask his next question. He put the phone down beside the tub and leaned back underwater, splashing some water and soap on the floor. Coming up for air, he sighed heavily.

"What have I gotten myself into?" He asked himself. "I don't even have enough money to buy a guitar."

His thoughts drifted, thinking of how famous he could become, how Sora would view him. Yes… Sora would definitely love a rock star, and Tai would be the icing on the cake with his guitar skills. Without another thought, he dried off and stuck his head out the door.

"MOM!"

* * *

Matt and TK sat on their mother's couch with fresh egg rolls on a platter.

"Well Tai is in," Matt smiled, happy that things worked out with him. He took a bite of an egg roll. "Now let's try and work on Izzy."

"Tai is one thing but Izzy is entirely different," TK tried reasoning with his brother. "Izzy's more in tune with that computer of his than a guitar."

"Yeah. But Tai does not know how to play either," Matt retorted. "Not far-fetched that Izzy could learn."

"How about Joe?" TK suggested.

Matt laughed ferociously at that. "Joe? Are you serious?" He cackled. "If we needed someone to stand around and act like he doesn't want to be there, we would call him. Izzy is our only other option, like it or not."

TK shrugged. "Fine. If you insist."

"Great. I'll call him right away."

Matt pulled out his phone and started dialing Izzy's phone number. He waited patiently as the other line rang for Izzy to pick up. It was not long before he got a response.

" _Koushiro Izumi's office. Please hold."_ The receptionist's voice said. Matt waited another few seconds before Izzy's voice came through the phone.

" _Izzy here."_

"Hey Izzy. It's Matt."

" _Hi Matt. To what do I owe the pleasure of this call?"_ Izzy replied.

"No time to explain," Matt said. "Get a guitar and meet us for practice in two days."

" _Hold on a second."_ Izzy protested. " _Why do I need to buy a guitar? What happened to your old band?"_

"I fired those idiots." Matt responded. "Anyways, just get a guitar. I know you have money for one."

" _Shit, you've got me there,"_ Izzy moaned _. "I don't even know how to play so why should I buy one if I can't play?"_

"Because I am a friend asking a friend for help," Matt tried using the friendship card. "Besides, it could help impress Mimi." He smirked.

Izzy blushed ferociously on the other line. " _Mimi?!_ " He shrieked, a little higher than he normally would.

" _I…I guess it could help if it would impress her_." He sighed in defeat. " _Damn it, I'll do it. You've got yourself a deal._ "

"Great!" Matt pumped a fist in celebration. "Practice is in two days. I'll expect you there."

" _Wait! Where are we going to…"_

He hung up.

"Come on!" He and TK slapped fives. Their new band was now complete. But one problem still remained.

"Where are we going to practice?" TK asked, remembering that Matt did not say where they would practice.

"I have the perfect place set up." Matt replied confidently.

* * *

 **A/N: So with the other members of his band now in place, will this scheme of Matt's work? Will they be the Japanese Beatles or flame out before their time? Find out on the next Digimon: Digital Monsters.**

 **I hope you guys liked that. I've had this idea in my head for a while, inspired by my own band. In other news, I bought my copy of Tri: Reunion on the day it came out. Just as good as I remember it and now we have the news that the dub of Determination comes out in August. It's a good time to be a Digi-fan.**

 **Leave a review and remember to like and subscribe…wait, wrong website XD I meant to favorite and follow it, as well as me. See you all next time.**


	2. It's Only Rock N Roll

**Back again with the second chapter. Cranked this one out all day yesterday with my friend Goku Skywalker. He's been an amazing partner and was really helpful when it came to decent dialogue. Check out his Star Wars/Digimon crossover** **fic: 'The Destined Jedi.' It is really good and I am co-writing it as well.**

 **So recapping: Matt fired the members of Knife of Day after they voted to discontinue the band. He decides to form a new band and recruits TK, Tai, and Izzy to be in his band, despite Tai and Izzy's lack of musical ability.**

 **Do not own Digimon or any unoriginal songs used in this fic. Enjoy.**

* * *

 _Journal Entry #2_

 _Ishida, Matt_

 _June 23_ _rd_ _, 2010_

 _Two days after putting the band together, we began our first practice. I certainly was not having high expectations going in but hoped that something good would come out of it._

 _TK and I practiced together in the days leading up and confirmed what I already knew: he was a drumming genius and was possibly the next John Bonham, Keith Moon or even Dave Grohl. I knew I had a gold mine with this._

 _This really has gotten me thinking, when did this all really become toxic? Why did we let it get so far? I guess no one is really safe from the temptations of the alluring toxic sensations._

 _Now to our first practice…_

* * *

Matt tuned his bass to the proper tuning while TK tuned his drums until he had the right sound he desired. Today was the band's first practice and Matt was a little nervous about how it was going to go. He could only hope that Tai and Izzy had gotten guitars and practiced enough since he had called them. He would find out soon whether they had put in any work.

"So what songs are we going to practice, Matt?" TK asked from the drums.

"I've got a few that I think could be excellent for the show," replied Matt. "Now it's just a matter of how simple they can be for Tai and Izzy."

"Are you nervous about this at all? Nervous that this was probably a bad idea?"

Matt shook his head. "They just need practice at this sort of thing. The more practice, the better."

A few minutes later, the door to the warehouse opened and in walked Tai and Izzy, guitar cases and amplifiers in hand. They walked over to the blonde-haired brothers.

"Hey guys," Tai greeted. "How's it going?"

"Fine," Matt and TK nodded in greeting.

"Good," Tai smiled. "Well, let's hope this works."

He and Izzy started to open their cases and reveal their new guitars. Tai had an all black Fernandes Stratocaster with a rosewood fretboard and a black guitar head. Izzy pulled out a cherry red Gibson ES-339.

"What's wrong, Izzy? The ES-335 too big for ya?" Matt laughed as Izzy pulled out his guitar. "Don't you think, Tai?"

Tai turned his head, not understanding what Matt was talking about. "Matt, I have really no idea what you're talking about. ES this, EDS that, it doesn't make sense to me."

Matt snickered again. "You'll know soon enough."

Izzy cracked a smile "No, Matt. I just wanted to sit and smile as you noticed Tai's guitar and then marvel in my own sound."

That elicited a laugh from all four of them. After it subsided, Matt got serious.

"Alright, so are you guys all tuned up and ready to go?" He asked.

Tai and Izzy gave each other nervous looks, not understanding exactly what Matt was talking about.

"We have to tune our guitars?" Tai spoke. "Wouldn't it be easier just to tuna fish?"

TK chuckled at Tai's joke but Matt gave him an incredulous look. Already things were not off to a good start if the guys did not know how to tune their guitars. He pulled up his stool beside Tai's.

"Strum a chord for me and I'll see if you're in tune," he said.

Tai sat his guitar on his lap and strummed a 'G' chord. It sounded fine to Tai but Matt was mulling over the entire sound. Pulling a tuner out of his pocket, Matt put it on the head of Tai's guitar and turned it on.

"Now pluck each string for me," he said.

Tai hit the E string. It sounded a little low so Matt moved the rig up until the red on the tuner met the middle in a blue. They repeated the process for each string until it was all tuned up. Matt then did the same for Izzy.

"Ok, since you guys are all tuned up, let's start practice." Matt returned to pick up his Fender Mustang bass and put it around his neck.

Tai took the strap from his guitar and wrapped it around his neck. Izzy did the same while TK took the throne behind the drums. It then occurred to them that they needed some material to practice with.

"Okay, here is a very simple song to find our sound. It's called Paperback Writer by The Beatles." Matt explained as he went over to Tai and Izzy. "The only chords you'll play in this song are C and G7. You do know what a C is don't you?"

Tai did his best at a C chord. "Like this right?"

Matt looked at him with a stern look. Tai had his fingers in the proper shape but at the wrong place on the fretboard. He could fix that no problem.

"Yes, but move your fingers down the fretboard. Like this." Matt then played a C chord to demonstrate. Tai did as instructed and played the chord with grace. The sound it generated wowed Izzy.

"So that's what it's supposed to sound like," Izzy awed. "Okay I think I've got it." He then played the same chord. He felt powerful when he heard the distorted sound pulse through the amplifier. Almost like a shot of adrenaline, he felt a rush of energy go through his system.

Matt then went back to his bass. "See what happens when you tune your instruments to the correct pitch? You get a graceful sound like that."

Tai then tried to play a G7 chord, but ended up playing G minor. His fingers bumbled around trying to find the correct notes to form the chord but in the end, he just got frustrated.

"Gah!" He let out a growl. "This is ridiculous!"

"Tai, come here. Let me help." Matt took the guitar from Tai and showed him where the fingers of a G7 chord were to be placed. "You need to find a chord book and just memorize where to place your fingers. Then practice switching between them."

Tai gave a sorrow look. "Yes Matt," he sighed as he walked back to his chair with guitar in hand.

"It's ok. You're still learning. Don't get upset," Matt said as he hooked his bass around his neck. "Ready, TK?"

"You betcha!" TK said excitedly as he counted them off for Paperback Writer.

The song started off great, Matt and Tai's vocals harmonized together perfectly. It was only until after the first verse that something had gone wrong.

"Hold it, hold it, HOLD IT!" Matt yelled begging for the group to stop playing.

"What's wrong? I thought we sounded great." Izzy said as he dropped his hands from playing position, doing a little descent down the fretboard in a solo.

"See, that's the thing. It sounded great, but it was off. You two need to learn how to keep time. TK and I provide the rhythm; you two provide the flavor that makes the song great. However, I want the song to sound like it was produced with a fine wine. Not some hand me down cheese grater that's two beats off everyone else." Matt explained as he sat down and started to count out how to keep time. He tried to keep his patience but he was beginning to lose that battle.

Tai and Izzy practiced switching chords while strumming the usual way of up and down rather than all down. This showed mild improvement, and Matt was generally pleased with how serious the two of them had taken this. TK started to count off again and Paperback Writer was on again.

The song went off without a hitch, and the sound they produced was adequate for their first practice. The only issue remaining was that Tai and Izzy kept complaining about how their fingers hurt and looked all bloody.

"My fingers are killing me!" Tai yelled as he rubbed them trying to stop the pain. Not only did they hurt, he also saw that the string marks were embedded in his fingers and blood dripped from them.

"That's why you need to keep practicing. You do that and your fingers won't hurt as much anymore. See look at mine." Matt said as he showed off the calluses that his fingers had formed from years of playing. The others looked in awe at how his fingers were not bloody even after maneuvering around the bass strings.

"Okay, can we give it one more go for Paperback Writer?" TK said as he grabbed his sticks, eager to play after having not been able to for almost an hour while Tai and Izzy figured out how to strum properly.

"I don't know how I feel about it. Considering my fingers are bloody and in constant pain, I really don't see the need." Izzy said as he put his guitar down. He pulled out a case of Band Aids and handed a couple to Tai before putting some on his fingers.

"Come on, guys! We have a gig in two weeks and we need to practice. How else are we going to get better if we don't practice?" Matt insisted as he started the bass line again for Paperback Writer.

"I'm with Izzy on this one. I think that's enough for today." Tai spoke. "We know our sound and it's good enough for government work. We can always work on it some more before the gig. Besides, I have to go and get my fingers checked to see if I'm losing any of them." He laughed at his own joke but was met with an incredulous stare from Matt and TK.

Matt thought this over for a brief second before giving an agitated sigh.

"Fine. Practice is over for today. We start again in two days. Have calluses developed by then and I mean developed!" He slammed his bass into its case. "Let's go, TK."

TK got up and followed him but not before turning around to face Izzy and Tai, a displeased look clear as day.

"You two really need to learn that just because things aren't going your way, that doesn't mean you stop and quit." He snapped before following Matt out the door to the warehouse.

Tai and Izzy both felt a sting from TK's words. They really screwed up their first practice and now they both were paying the price for it. They felt like complete failures, not only for themselves but also for their band mates, feeling like they were letting Matt and TK down.

In Tai's mind, his thoughts flashed to Sora and how quickly she would reject him if she found out he was not the great guitarist he thought he was. He needed to step up his game if he was going to be as good as he wants to be.

Izzy wanted to impress Mimi so badly with his guitar skills. Botching up the first rehearsal that he had been a part of would not be the greatest thing to tell her. Izzy felt that he needed to buckle down and learn some discipline for his and Tai's sake.

* * *

"Well today was a complete disaster," TK sighed as he sat at the table.

He and Matt were back at their dad's apartment. Matt was cooking dinner for the both of them since their dad was still at work. Since he did not get much of a chance to practice today, TK did overtime: tapping on his practice pad and listening to songs and playing along with them ever since they got back.

"Easy, Teek," Matt replied, trying to keep his own cool in addition to keeping his brother calm. "We should not have expected much from Izzy and Tai right away. I am sure it will take a few days for them to get used to it. We had some flashes of brilliance."

"Yeah but other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?" TK drawled sarcastically. "I think maybe this was not such a great idea after all."

Matt came to the table with two bowls of stew and gave one to his brother, pouring glasses of lemonade for the both of them before sitting down. He was a little disappointed about how things went earlier but still kept it in perspective. TK was young so he had yet to fully understand that, despite how mature he was for his age.

"It's only one practice," he said. "We should not judge them based on one practice, as well as it being their first time doing something like this. The whole bringing them into the band thing was your idea to begin with."

TK shook his head and scooped up some stew in his spoon. "Don't remind me."

* * *

Tai and Izzy got together before the second practice at Izzy's office to practice before being judged by Matt again. Tai had tried to produce an E minor chord, but wound up producing an E chord instead. After a few more attempts at it, he groaned and stopped strumming.

"All these chords makes playing the guitar difficult." Tai complained, still trying to put his fingers in the right position. "Why do people do this? Couldn't they have stayed on one string and just made it work?"

Izzy strummed the chord perfectly. "Hold on Tai, like this," He fixed Tai's position to get the E minor chord. "Now if guitar was that easy, then it wouldn't be worth it. You're thinking of the bass guitar. " Izzy said as he went back to his seat.

Tai just sighed and practiced his chords. He and Izzy had shown some mild improvement, but it still wouldn't be good enough for Matt's standards.

"Let's run through Paperback Writer. We need to get through that one progression before we get through the chords." Izzy got ready and they practiced and practiced until their fingers felt like they were going to fall off.

After another two hours of straight practice, they decided to call it a session. Hopefully tomorrow they were a little more up to Matt's standards. They did not want to be yelled at again.

* * *

Unfortunately, the next practice that would be held had not yielded the results that Matt was hoping for. Paperback Writer had sounded great, even if it was off tone a bit, but the other song Matt had included, Louie Louie, had not been met with positive results.

"Tai, you need to keep the style going. This isn't an original song so you can't afford to screw up a simple style that is known to this earth as… glam metal." Matt threw up in his mouth as he said those words.

Tai grew impatient. "Matt, I'm trying my hardest but that doesn't seem to be good enough for you! I made sure my fingers had calluses but I just can't seem to get it!"

Tai sat down with a huff and slammed his hand against the riser that acted as his backrest.

Matt grew more frustrated. "Don't take that tone with me. All I want is for you to understand the style. Know what it is that we are playing rather than waiting for the last minute before you magically show off your 'mad' skills of being the world's greatest guitar player."

Izzy then took to Tai's side. "Matt, you really have no idea what's going on here do you? We're exhausted," he explained calmly, although he wanted to get in Matt's face and tell him off. "We've tried every single method of learning but nothing is coming of it. We may know chords but does it mean that we're ready for a full gig? I don't think so. Why you made the gig in less than two weeks is a mystery to me but I think you've forgotten the one thing that makes a band: and that is are we having fun in it. I don't think we are anymore." Izzy then got up and looked Matt dead in the eyes.

Matt shoved Izzy out of his way. Tai came to Izzy's defense by shoving Matt in return, but just as it looked like it was going to be a full-blown brawl, TK and Izzy held them back. Matt's patience was beginning to wear thin with their complaining. His anger got the best of him and he started to let his feelings about the situation be known to them.

"I will have you know that I don't need any of this!" He roared. Tai and Izzy sat quietly, looking down at their shoes. "All I want is a group of people who are good enough to be in a band so we can all become famous rock stars. If it could be with my friends, then that would be even more amazing. Apparently I was wrong."

Matt then turned to leave the warehouse. "If you still feel the need, you can come to the gig and watch me and TK flunk out all by ourselves. Thanks for ruining the one chance we all had." He then walked out in a huff.

TK then stepped off his throne and turned to Tai and Izzy. "That was very brave of you for doing what you believed in. However, I can see the lack of practice and effort on your part. I'm sorry, guys, but unless you shape up and get your act together, you're out." TK then walked out of the warehouse and chased after his brother.

Tai stood up and stroked his brown hair, shame and guilt coursing through his system after the fight.

"How could we have done that to them?" He sighed. "They're two of our best friends and we let them down." He then looked over at his guitar and grabbed it. "Come on, Izzy, we need to practice our asses off if we're gonna be in shape for the gig in less than two weeks."

Izzy got up and grabbed his Gibson ES-339. "You got it, Tai. From the top we do Paperback Writer and then Louie Louie." They counted off and began to tear the warehouse apart with how much effort they put in to their work.

After they finished the run through, they gave each other proud looks. Somehow, someway, they managed to run through it without any problems. Perhaps it was because they did not have Matt and TK breathing down their necks at every little thing that they did. It was much easier.

A chord progression that Izzy was doing caught Tai's ear. It sounded really good and could make a new song. He did not know how to write a song but that did not stop him from wanting to start something.

"Hey Iz," he said. "Play that again. I'll try to put some words to it."

Izzy raised an eyebrow for a brief second before he caught on to what Tai was trying to tell him. Did he just come up with a new song?

"Ok," Izzy nodded, playing the A minor-F-C-G progression that he had just been playing. He started bobbing his head up and down, feeling the rhythm in his playing, and a smile made its way on his face. This was fun. Tai played along with him until he got a burst of inspiration.

"Tell me how this sounds," he said before singing, "I am a passenger, and I ride and I ride. I ride through the city backsides, I see the stars come out of the sky."

"Prodigious!" Izzy exclaimed, ceasing his playing. "That is actually really good. Maybe for every other line in the verse, we use an E chord at the end just to have some variety in it." He played the same progression with an E at the end for Tai.

"Yeah we should," nodded Tai. "Oh man. We have to show this to TK and Matt before the gig."

"I agree."

Tai then pulled out a notebook from his backpack and wrote down the words he came up with. For the next half-hour, he and Izzy worked out the rest of the lyrics before deciding to call it a day. All that could be said afterwards was that the gig was going to be a night the four of them would never forget.

* * *

 **Will they pull it off in time? Will this band even survive the first gig? Find out on the next Digimon: Digital Monsters.**

 **The song Tai and Izzy came up with was 'The Passenger' by Iggy Pop. I know that the song was released in the 70's but we have to have them write some sort of original material. That will be a constant throughout this fic, though I promise that there will be some that I did myself eventually.**

 **Keep those reviews coming and always remember to favorite and follow along with that. It's a package deal. See you all next time. At the rate I am writing, it should not be too long at all.**


	3. Superstar

**Three chapters in less than a week? You betcha. I told you that I have been writing this non-stop. I am glad to see some of the responses to the story but things are about to get even more interesting soon.**

 **Recap: For their first practice, Matt and TK witness firsthand just how novice that Tai and Izzy are. They have trouble with even the most basic of chords and complain about their fingers hurting. Due to their frustration, Matt and TK walk out on practice both times. Tai and Izzy buckle down and end up writing a new song.**

 **Will they be ready for the show and pull it off? Find out here.**

 **Disclaimer: Don't own Digimon or some of the songs used in this chapter, save for one. The songs that aren't mine belong to Aerosmith, Iggy Pop and the Stooges, and the Beatles.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 _Journal Entry #3_

 _Ishida, Matt_

 _June 24_ _th_ _, 2010_

 _The two weeks after the practices from Hell went by in a blur. Apparently I had made a mistake in getting Tai and Izzy involved with the band. They had practiced, but from what I had noticed, that wasn't very much at all. Now matters had become worse, as our first show had just arrived._

 _Did I really think it was going to go well? Of course not, since Tai and Izzy were sloppy among their form while TK and I were the only serious ones._

 _Try to imagine my feelings that night. The stress of it all I feel really started my addiction. The relief I was brought from the drugs was one of the best feelings I had ever had. Now am I regretful of what has happened since then? Yes I am, but that's beside the point. All I can really say is that it was most certainly a night I will never forget._

* * *

Backstage at a local club, the new incarnation of Knife of Day sat around waiting for their time to go up on stage. The atmosphere was so tense that the tension could be cut with a knife (no pun intended.) TK was tapping his drumsticks on his practice pad and Matt sat on a stool while tuning up his bass; they were as calm as could be, they knew they were ready for the show. Matt wore a British Union Jack t-shirt underneath a black jacket, pale blue jeans, and black Chuck Taylors. TK decided on a black vest over a plain white t-shirt, a blue backwards Yokohama Baystars cap and jeans.

Tai and Izzy paced back and forth while trying to keep their heads about them. They were trembling and felt a spell of stage fright overcome them. Thankfully it was nothing that would inhibit them from going onstage. Despite the fact that Matt and TK had not bothered to practice with them since the blowout, they both were able to practice together and nail down the songs they had agreed on. They even wrote some new songs. Tonight was going to be memorable, whether it will be remembered fondly or horribly was yet to be decided. They would certainly try to make it the best it could be.

Tai ran his hands through his hair as if he had a never-ending itch. His nerves were all over the place that he was not sure of what to do. He took a breath and tried to relax. His trademark goggles hung around his neck, a short-sleeved orange over-shirt was over a long-sleeved white shirt, jeans and white and blue Nike shoes.

He gave Izzy a look.

"You nervous as I am, Iz?" He tried to lighten the atmosphere with a joke.

Izzy laughed nervously.

"You're right I am," he nodded, his hand wrapped around his mouth and his fingers grasped his chin. "To think that we go on stage in just a few minutes."

Tai went over to him and patted him on the shoulder. "I think we'll be fine," he assured. "With how much we've practiced over the past week, I'm sure we'll knock their pants off." He said as he went back to pacing around.

Izzy nodded in agreement before tuning his guitar up. He wore brown pants to compliment a white button up shirt underneath a blue jacket. A watch poked out from under the jacket.

After a few more minutes, Matt got off his stool and had everyone gather around. "Well everyone, here we go." He said, voicing what everyone one of them knew.

"Now whether this will end well or not I just want you all to know…" He paused as he looked at each one of their faces. "You all are always going to be my friends no matter how this turns out. Just stay calm, feel, and use your best judgment. Remember how we practiced and to keep in time. If we can all manage that I think we'll be fine."

TK then looked at the time. "Oh crap, guys! We've gotta get ready to go on stage!" He yelled as he gathered his sticks and drum kit parts. The others quickly gathered their amplifiers and guitars and ran on the stage.

After the initial setup, the club was quiet. So quiet that not even feedback could be heard from Tai or Izzy's amps.

Then it all began with the first note being plucked by Tai as he ran his guitar pick through his strings. He looked to Matt, who nodded and counted off for them to start the beginning song.

"Alright now," Matt stepped up to the mic. "We are Knife of Day and we would like to start off with a number called ' **Train Kept A Rollin** '" by the American band Aerosmith."

With one brief pause, Izzy started the riff on his guitar before descending down to do a solo. Tai followed the riff he started while Matt and TK came in with the rhythm. Matt felt the beat and realized that Tai and Izzy were keeping time really well so far. Hopefully they could keep that going through the rest of the song.

" **Well on a train, I met a dame,** " Matt sang while playing his bass. " **She rather handsome, we kinda looked the same. She was pretty, from New York City, walking down that old fair lane, I'm in heat, I'm in love, but I just couldn't tell her so. I said the train kept a rollin' all night long, train kept a rollin' all night long, train kept a rollin' all night long, train kept a rollin' all night long with a heave and a ho, but I just couldn't tell her so.** "

The rest of the song went off without a single problem, which eased Matt's anxieties a little bit but not fully enough to where he felt confident that everything else would be fine. The crowd roared in approval after they finished the song. With harmonic feedback going through the speakers, Tai stepped up to the mic this time.

"This song's called **'I Wanna Be Your Dog.** '" He announced.

Counting off, he and Izzy played descending chords before letting the last one ring out. Izzy immediately went down to the 12th fret on the E string to let out a harmonic, which they held for a few seconds before moving into the riff of the song. Matt and TK looked at each other, realizing that this was a new song, so they did their best to get a good groove going.

Tai started to sing the song as Matt and TK tried to keep the rhythm going as Izzy played the chords to mesmerize the audience in a vivid sound that could only be described as proto heavy metal.

" **I wanna be your dog!** " Tai sang as his vocal chords started to become raspy.

Matt himself was surprised at how well Tai was singing. The huskiness of his voice blended perfectly well with the sound that was created by Matt's bass guitar. When the song ended, the audience erupted into a cry of glee as the rest of the band all shouted, "Thank you!"

Matt stepped up to talk. "How are you all doing tonight?" He asked, earning a roar of approval from the crowd. He smiled. "That's excellent. As I said earlier, we are Knife of Day. We are a little different than when some of you saw us last. I'd like to introduce you to the new members of the group."

He gestured to Tai. "This is Tai, rhythm guitar and as you saw, he does vocals also."

Tai waved to the crowd as they gave him a round of applause.

"Izzy on lead."

Izzy smiled shyly.

"And on the drums, my little brother, TK."

TK played the comedy drum fill as he was introduced, earning a laugh from many people, including the rest of the band.

"We have this next number up for you," continued Matt. "From the greatest band of all time, the Beatles, we give you 'Paperback Writer.'"

' _I hope it works this time.'_ He thought to himself as the doubts crept into his mind once again.

Matt counted off so they could keep the harmonies together.

" **Paperback writer,** " they all sang in tight unison, like all four of their voices became one. Matt couldn't help but smile as they finished it. Izzy played the opening riff before they went into the verse.

" **Dear sir or madam, will you read my book? It took me years to write, will you take a look?** " Matt sang, listening to make sure Tai and Izzy stayed in time. " **It's based on a novel by a man named Lear and I need a job, so I want to be a paperback writer.** "

" **Paperback writer,** " all four of them sang together. The blend was absolutely perfect that the smile Matt had on before never left his face until the song ended. Tai and Izzy had been practicing and it showed. Maybe this would work after all.

The crowd screamed louder than before when the last chord drowned out.

Matt went up to the microphone and began to say some details about their next song on the list. "Our next number that we would like to play is a song that has been around for quite a while. It's called ' **Louie Louie'** by The Kingsmen!" He finished and started to give rhythm for Tai and Izzy to begin the chords.

Tai began to strum the A to D to E minor and back to D chords while standing with Izzy back to back as the two guitarists became inseparable for the rest of the song.

" **Louie Louie, oh baby we gotta go.** " They both sang at the microphone as Izzy started to solo a bit, basing it around the same chords that were prominent to the song.

The audience became enthralled with the song as they began to sing back and clap to the rhythm that Matt and TK had given the song. Matt became impressed with Izzy's ability to solo around the chords to a song that had never been 'shredded' before. This had to work, if Tai could keep in rhythm with everyone else, then the band could succeed where the old incarnation and the Teenage Wolves failed.

"Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, we have been Knife of Day and we bid you adie-" Matt was cut off by Tai as he went up to his microphone. If looks could kill, Tai would be a burning pile of ash but he ignored Matt's look.

"For our last number, I'd like to ask your help. Would all please clap your hands when Izzy starts playing his guitar? That'd be great." Tai said as Izzy then started to find the chords to their final song. Once he began playing, the audience clapped away as Tai started singing.

" **I am the passenger, and I ride and I ride.** " Tai sang with Matt and TK trying their best to provide rhythm. Proto punk was the sound the audience heard the final time as Knife of Day rocked the house down with the final section of, " **Singing la la la la la la la.** " Even the crowd joined in for the final verse. At the end, the final chords ended with an explosion of applause as the audience began to clap like wild beasts.

"Thank you. Have a wonderful evening. This has been Knife of Day signing off." Matt said as TK ended with the comedy drumbeat again, signifying this was the end of the show.

TK came off the drums and they gave a final bow to the crowd. As they ran off the stage and into the dressing room, they gave cries of joy and embraced each other in elation. The show was a rousing success, despite all of Matt's biggest fears.

Matt popped open a couple of Cokes and handed one to each of the guys, then raised them up in a toast.

"Guys," he said, the smile never leaving his face. "I want to propose a toast: to a great show and to a bright future. We kicked ass, looked good while doing it, and I think that we will become something bigger if we keep on this path."

"I agree," TK shook his brother's shoulder. "And it's all thanks to you for bringing us together."

"To us."

"To us." Tai and Izzy repeated before taking sips of their drinks. After their drinks, Tai spoke up.

"Hey guys, I have an idea," he said.

"What is it, Tai?" Matt asked.

"Since we are a new band, why don't we have a new name to go along with it?"

"That's a good idea," Izzy nodded. "With the first incarnation of Knife of Day gone, it is fitting that this version moved away from that name."

"Well what name do you have in mind, Tai?"

With an impish look in his eye and a smirk on his face, Tai paused for effect before giving his suggestion. "Digivolution."

The other members' eyes went wide. The name was memorable and it stuck in your head after you heard it. Matt began chuckling after a bit with a smile on his face that was even bigger than during the concert. Izzy looked like he was thinking about the name and then finally nodded in agreement with a sly smile on his face.

"That is an awesome name!" TK exclaimed, jumping up and down as it reminded him of the memories they all shared, hoping that it would bring them closer together. "Let's do it!"

"I'm for that." Matt agreed.

"Agreed." Izzy nodded.

"Ok," Tai raised his bottle up, which the others copied. "I hereby christen us Digivolution." Their bottles clashed in a 'clink' before they took another drink.

After a few more minutes of stroking their egos, they started to load up Matt's dad's van, which he was kind enough to loan them, with their equipment. As payment, the four of them were paid ¥15,000, splitting it four ways so they ended up with ¥3,750 each.

* * *

 _Nothing was the same again after that gig. In a short span of three months, we were booking gigs at some of the biggest clubs and theaters in the Tokyo area. Tai and I began writing songs together, which was fruitful to say the least. It was like we could just tell what the other wanted and put it down._

 _Izzy and TK would contribute songs here and there but mainly they came from the two of us. It was like we hadn't even experienced any of the pitfalls that preceded many of the bands from the 1960s or 70s._

 _Things looked like they couldn't have been going any better until one gig at Zepp Tokyo._

* * *

 _Three Months Later_

 _Zepp Tokyo_

 _Odaiba_

" **I'm free as a bird, always been heard. You always come down, my friend, until the very end. We're free as a bird, free as a bird.** "

The crowd went nuts as Tai and Izzy picked the strings rapidly on the last chord while TK played the crash cymbals. Tai looked at Matt and gave him a nod, which Matt returned. They ran towards each other and jumped in the air and strummed one last time before the lights went out. The cheers of the crowd were deafening.

"Thank you, Zepp Tokyo," Tai announced. "Good night."

The four of them walked to center stage and bowed before walking offstage. Before they could make it back, Tai heard someone call his name over all the cheers.

"Tai! Tai!"

Tai looked around as the rest of his band mates walked into their dressing room. He saw Sora come running towards him. He smiled as she reached him and locked him in a tight hug. He blushed heavily as he felt her arms around him.

"Hey, Sora," he greeted. "Did you enjoy the show?"

"Oh my God, it was amazing," she giggled. "I did not know that you guys were that good. I heard things from Kari but to actually see it live was just such an experience. It was incredibly marvelous. The guitars and the music just blending in together."

Sora paused trying to find the words. "It was breathtaking," she finally said. "I will be able to say I saw you live before you made it to stardom around the globe."

Tai chuckled. "Well thank you. I can say that you were the first one that really liked us." He took her hand. "Want to come back to the dressing room and say hi to the guys with me?"

She nodded.

The two of them walked to the room, where the guys were already celebrating; pouring sodas over each other and giving out hugs. As soon as the door opened, they stopped their activities to see Tai and Sora hand-in-hand.

"Hey, Sora," Matt greeted. "Nice to see you. Enjoy the show?"

"You guys were unbelievable. Of course I loved it." She praised. "That ending song was terrific."

"Well thanks," Matt ran a hand through his hair, a slight blush on his face. "Me and Tai came up with that one."

Tai grabbed a Coke and offered it to her. "Want a soda?" He asked.

"No thanks," she declined. "Mind if we have a moment alone for a while? I have something I want to tell you."

Tai nodded. "Sure," he turned to his band mates. "Hey guys, why don't you go start on loading up? I'll be there in a few minutes."

Sensing the situation, Izzy and TK walked out and Matt followed reluctantly. As he walked out the door, he noticed the two of them sitting on the couch and getting closer together. He frowned before closing the door, knowing exactly where this was going.

' _All right, Tai, you want to play hardball? I can play hardball.'_ Matt seethed to himself as he followed the rest of the band. While the relationship between Matt and Sora had been to remain as friends, Matt couldn't hide his jealousy as he started to storm out of the building.

TK noticed his brother gritting his teeth as he grabbed his amp and loaded it into the van. "Hey, you wanna cool it down a bit, bro? You're gonna smash the amp if you keep it up."

Matt looked at TK with a huff. "You saw what happened up there, how Tai told us to leave and he would be down 'in a few minutes.'" He used air quotes to repeat Tai's words. "I know what he's up to. To think that everything was going so well."

TK put his hand on Matt's shoulder. "Bro, I can see where this is coming from. You're not worried about that. You just can't get over what happened some years ago."

Matt looked at him with an angry face, nostrils flaring.

"I can tell it's true since you're carrying yourself this way. You say you're not, yet you are. You can't hide anything from your brother." TK stopped for a bit. "I don't know if you feel the same way but I will tell you this: she wants Tai now. If they do end up together, then we have to respect that. Being in a band doesn't mean everything is going to go perfectly out the wazoo. You have to work at it and get better." TK went back to load his drums in. "You need to… grow up."

Matt replied with a snort. "You and I both know that I don't feel that way for her."

TK shot in. "Who you are trying to convince, Matt? Me or yourself?"

Matt looked at his brother. With a sigh he finally broke the silence. "You're right. It shames me to say this but I still feel something for her. I don't know why but I do. I know we decided to be friends but it still aggravates me to think that she's with someone else and not me." He said as he walked back to get his bass guitar.

TK watched his brother walk back to get his bass with a forlorn expression before Izzy called him over to help him with loading the speakers.

Tai and Sora came out at that moment. Tai had his guitar case and amplifier in his hands with one around her. The others watched as they said goodbye and hugged each other before Sora walked off. Izzy and TK smiled at the scene while Matt turned away in disgust.

Tai noticed this.

"What's with him?" He asked.

TK and Izzy shrugged before loading up the rest of the gear. Tai could not help but feel like something was up and nothing would be the same again.

* * *

 **Seems like trouble is brewing in the camp. Will the band move past this or will it fester and cause problems down the road? Find out on the next Digimon: Digital Monsters.**

 **How was that? If you enjoyed that, you're going to love what is going to happen next.**

 **I do accept the fact that Matt and Sora dated between 02 and Tri but it may be implied that they decided to call it off and remain friends, which would explain why they are not together in Tri. Despite this, Matt still has feelings for her and now that she's chasing Tai, his jealousy is starting to surface.**

 **But enough chitchat. Be sure to leave a review as you read. They really do motivate me to keep writing for you all. See you guys really soon, and I do mean soon.**


	4. Toxicity

**Thanks to a long train ride, I was able to finish work on this chapter.**

 **For last chapter, the guys kill their first gig together and only get bigger. When Sora comes into the picture, we see possible friction between Tai and Matt begin to make itself known.**

 **Don't own Digimon or any of the songs used in this chapter.**

 **Hope you all strapped yourselves in because the roller coaster is taking off. Enjoy!**

* * *

 _Journal Entry #4_

 _Ishida, Matt_

 _June 24, 2010_

 _Over the next year, everything seemed to happen so fast. We got signed to Virgin Records Japan and recorded our debut album. It shot up into the top ten almost immediately and went to number one not too long after that. We had a few top twenty singles and the album went three times platinum in Japan. It made a slight dent in the United States, where it went gold._

 _We did not expect the album to sell well in America but once they heard "The Passenger," there was no stopping it._

 _Things could not have been much better for us at that time, but I was not happy. I had started feeling the pressure of fame and started using drugs to get me by. It was not a bad habit yet but it was enough to impact me. The combination of drugs and my jealousy towards Tai and Sora began my downward spiral._

 _Tai and I soon became slaves to the record company, which only confounded our animosity towards each other. I can only say this about becoming part of a record business… welcome to the machine._

 _If only I knew how horrible it would soon become.._

* * *

 _Nippon Budokan_

 _Tokyo_

 _May 17, 2008_

The bus pulled up at Budokan, a giant sign that read 'Digivolution: The Evolution Tour' flashed all over. Posters of them were put up all around the venue. Many people were beginning to pile into the arena with the crowd numbering in the tens of thousands. TK could be thought of as a wide-eyed girl with how much his face was pressed against the window of the bus.

"Guys, can we just take a moment to appreciate the fact that we are here right now? We are literally playing the same arena that the Beatles and Cheap Trick have been to." He had a star struck look on his face and his breathing was shallow.

This brought on humble looks to each member's face. They weren't worthy of being in such a 'holy' place. For Matt, Budokan was only a place he could dream of playing. Never in a million years did he think that he would be playing at this place. That time had now come.

"All we have to do is put on our best show, like we've done on the rest of the tour." Tai said as the bus pulled to a stop. "It just so happens that we are playing one of the most legendary venues in rock history."

Everyone grabbed their equipment as the doors opened up with girls screaming like banshees. As soon as they stepped onto the ground, TK immediately fell to his knees and bowed reverently at the building before them.

"We're not worthy, we're not worthy," he chanted. "We're not worthy."

"TK, stop." Matt picked him up by his collar. "It's just another show."

"Do you understand where we are at?" TK grabbed his brother by the collar. "We are in the same place that the Beatles played, the same place that made Cheap Trick internationally known, the same place that…"

"I get the point." Matt cut him off. "But try and stay calm. I don't need you going mental before we go onstage tonight."

"Can I go mental afterwards?"

Matt gave him a smirk. "Sure."

The four band mates began to wave to their adoring public as they walked towards the building for their headlining gig. Walking inside to their dressing room, they placed their equipment down and settled in for the long wait until their set began.

They laid out their clothes out on the coat rack in the room. Matt had selected a black leather jacket and black shirt to go along with black jeans; Tai also had a black leather jacket to go with a white shirt and blue jeans; TK had a beige jacket with an orange t-shirt, dark blue jeans, and a Yomiuri Giants hat; and Izzy a white collared shirt with the sleeves unbuttoned and rolled up, black pants, and black dress shoes.

An hour before they were set to go onstage, the door opened at that moment. The sound of squealing teenage girls trying to get in could be heard throughout the entire arena, hoping to get a glimpse of their heroes, but security held them back. In walked the female Digidestined, dressed well for the occasion: jeans, t-shirts, and sneakers.

"Hi, boys." Sora greeted as she sat down beside Tai. Kari sat down beside TK on the couch, giving him a kiss on the cheek, which caused Tai to give him a glare. Mimi slinked a hand behind Izzy's neck, causing him to blush madly.

"Hello, girls." Matt returned with a nod, staring daggers into Tai and Sora as Tai kissed her neck repeatedly, eliciting giggles from her.

"Kari, do you know the significance of this venue?" TK asked Kari as he put his arm around her.

"Um… no I don't. Why don't you tell me?" Kari asked with an interesting gaze into her boyfriend.

"We're playing at the same arena that the Beatles played in over 40 years ago! Isn't that amazing?!" TK looked like he was going to burst on the spot with excitement.

"Cool your jets, little brother. Maybe if we're lucky, Paul McCartney will be in the audience." Matt soon realized his mistake as TK started jumping up and down, only to be stopped by Kari pressing her lips against his own.

"Calm down, sweetie. You'll be able to fanboy soon enough after you go on. Maybe I can… help you with that." She said in a seductive tone that settled TK down for the rest of the time they were backstage.

Tai didn't even notice what Kari had said as he was too busy admiring Sora and her beauty. She was too good to be true, and she was all his. Boy was he a lucky man to have such a supportive girl at his side.

"Sora, will you still be here after the show? I want to show you something after." Tai said with a wink. Sora blushed.

"Tai, if I didn't know any better, I'd call you a naughty boy." She then went up to his neck and bit down a bit before going to his ear and whispering. "What did you have in mind?" She said in an extremely low register.

This made Tai fall over flat on his face, too stricken with love to get up and fidget over the floor. This made Sora laugh even harder as she pulled him up. Izzy and Mimi giggled at the sight of how Tai had made a complete fool of himself.

Matt was unamused. Was it jealousy or some misguided attempt to try and keep the band unified? He didn't know and he didn't care. All that he could see was sickening, as everyone else had a girl they could wrap their arms around. He goes over and picks up Tai to drag him outside their sitting area and out of earshot. Clearly Matt was not tolerating any sort of issue before his show, be it by band member or old friend.

"Jeez, Matt. What's gotten into you?" Tai protested as they stood outside the dressing room.

"What the hell was that?" Matt shot back.

"What was what?"

"The 'Sora, are you sticking around because I want to show you something afterwards' thing." Matt seethed, grabbing Tai by his collar. "If you're thinking about getting lucky before the show, you can forget it."

"Oh I see what's up," Tai smirked. "You're jealous."

"Excuse me?" Matt's eyes widened.

"You heard me," Tai nodded. "I think you're just angry because you haven't gotten any."

"Oh please," Matt rolled his eyes. "At least I'm not hitting a slut."

"You take that back!" Tai became enraged and grabbed Matt by his collar and pinned him against a wall.

"Hard to take back what is true."

Tai let his hand clench in a fist but before he could deliver the blow, he stopped and took a breath. "I am not going to tolerate any of your crap before this show." He said, letting go of Matt.

"Same to you, buddy." Matt spat, his voice going to a lower register on the last word.

"We will finish this later."

"Oh you bet we will. Then you and Sora can have your 'private time' together."

The two of them fixed their shirts and calmed down enough so that it seemed like nothing happened at all. When they walked back into the dressing room, the girls were still hanging around and the guys were starting to change into their stage attire.

"Mind giving us a few minutes, girls?" Matt gestured for them to walk out the door. "We need to get ready."

"Sure, no problem," replied Sora. She gave Tai a wink as she passed by him, he returned the gesture, looking forward to later. Mimi and Kari followed her.

As the door closed and giving one final glare towards each other, Tai and Matt joined TK and Izzy in getting dressed for the show. Their contemptuous looks towards each other did not let up; their eyes completely fixed on the other as they changed clothes.

A little less than an hour later, they could hear the sounds of the opening band finishing up their set. The crowd was going absolutely crazy, waiting in anticipation for their heroes to come out on stage and give them the greatest rock n roll show they've ever seen. TK tapped on his practice pad a little longer than he usually did while the guys tuned up their guitars to make sure they were set to go.

After a few more minutes of silence, Matt got up from the couch and called everyone together.

"Ok, guys," he said. "We know what we have to do. To think that two years ago, almost to the week, we first came together. We were a garage band practicing in a warehouse. Tai and Izzy didn't even know how to play but now here we are: at one of the most legendary venues in the world. It's amazing that we have lasted this long and have been given this chance."

Izzy spoke up after being silent for much of the evening. "I want you all to know that there aren't any better people I would want to share this with than you guys," he said. "We've been through a lot together."

TK nodded in agreement. "Yes we have."

"Be yourselves and have fun, guys," Tai said. "Who knows? This may be the only time we play here. Make it count." He glared at Matt out of his peripheral vision. "TK, don't wet yourself when we get out there."

That aroused a chuckle from Izzy but earned Tai a glare from Matt and TK. Before more could be said, the door opened and one of the security guards came in.

"It's time to go, guys." He said before stepping out again.

Putting their hands in, Tai and Matt consciously trying to avoid touching the other's hand, they each took a deep breath.

"What time is it?" Tai yelled.

"Time for the evolution!" The others repeated before they separated, filled with adrenaline for the show.

They walked out of their dressing room. TK tapped his drumsticks against the wall to show his excitement while his band mates followed, a little more reserved than their youngest member. Tai and Matt's glares at each other did not ease up in the slightest, even if other people could see. Heads were going to roll one way or another tonight, and they both would make sure of it.

* * *

 _An hour and a half later_

"Thank you, Budokan," Tai waved.

Over the past hour and a half, they gave the best performance they had ever done, even with the tension from earlier still surging through Matt and Tai's systems. The crowd was electrified with energy as the show continued from the very beginning. TK's drums had kept the place in a rhythm not even John Bonham could match in his heyday. Izzy's sheer power of the electric guitar knocked the socks off everyone in the crowd, including Mimi. The energy that the band had provided had almost run its course. It was time to call the end to one of the best rock shows that the band had given… only it didn't go quite the way that Tai had planned.

"You've been terrific. We could not have asked for anything better. We have one more song for you and this one is going to be the best yet…"

"Because it is a brand new, not-yet-released, song." Matt cut him off, earning a look of ire from Tai. "It's called ' **Mr. Brightside.** ' Hit it, Izzy."

' _What is he doing?'_ Tai had the biggest look of confusion on his face. ' _That is not the song we said we would do.'_

To avoid looking like an idiot, Tai played along with Izzy when the song got going.

" **I'm coming out of my cage and I've been doing just fine, gotta gotta be down because I want it all,** " Matt sang, looking at Tai the entire time. " **It started out with a kiss, how did it end up like this, it was only a kiss. It was only a kiss.** "

' _He must have just come up with that song.'_ Tai figured out as Matt continued. ' _Odd. He never told me he had come up with that song.'_

He looked at Izzy in an inquisitive look, wondering if he knew about what Matt was going to do. Izzy shrugged his shoulders.

" **Now I'm falling asleep, and she's calling a cab, while he's having a smoke and she's taking the drag. Now they're going to bed, and my stomach gets sick, and it's all in my head but she's touching his chest now, he takes off her dress, now let me go.** "

It suddenly hit Tai. Matt's earlier behavior and the introduction of this song were not at all a coincidence. He was venting his jealousy of his and Sora's relationship.

' _That son of a bitch!'_

This whole thing continued on through the rest of the song and when it ended, the audience went crazy, completely unaware of what was going on. Tai stepped up to the mic once again.

"If you liked that, we have one last song for you." He said before anyone could move. "It's called ' **Shake Me!** '"

TK started to beat his drums in a slow bluesy motion, akin to a 12 bar blues. Izzy started to slide down the guitar neck to play the blues going up and then repeat the motion. Matt looked at Tai, but figured nothing of it since the song that TK had started was 'You Shook Me' by Led Zeppelin and not their own 'Shake Me'.

Then Tai gave a wink to TK, who then started to beat his drums incredibly fast. Izzy shifted up and played the riff that shook the crowd into a frenzy.

"OH YEAH! LET'S HEAR IT, BUDOKAN!" Tai screamed into the microphone. " **I met this girl around a quarter to ten. We made it once, she said 'make me again.' She wrapped the love around me all night long. In the morning, we were still goin' strong!** "

Matt glared at Tai, who in turned offered up a middle finger with a sly smile.

" **Now let me tell you, it sure felt good. First time I saw that girl I knew it would.** " The others except Matt joined him at their microphones. " **She said SHAKE ME! ALL NIGHT! SHE SAID SHAKE ME! ALL NIGHT LONG!** "

Once the solo hit, Matt was caught off guard with Tai and Izzy squeezing him out of his spot. They flipped their guitars around them as Tai screamed into the microphone. "HARDER! HARDER! HARDER! YEAH!"

What followed were noises that would make Robert Plant blush with embarrassment. Matt's cheeks flushed red as he knew there was no escaping this one. He would definitely get Tai back for this when the show was over.

Once the song had finally ended, Tai got up and screamed out. "Thank you, Budokan! Good night!"

The screaming in the arena was so loud that no one could hear anything else. As the guys made their way off stage, Matt unexpectedly shoved Tai.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" He growled. "What was that about?"

Tai got up and gave him just as nasty of a look.

"Do you want to explain to me what you did first?" Tai retorted.

"I don't need to explain anything to you." Matt got into Tai's face.

"Well then I don't need to explain myself either. I consider us even for that little stunt you pulled." Tai walked away from Matt. "Now if you will excuse me, I have a hot date to attend to."

Watching Tai walk away from him just like that was enough to make Matt's blood boil. Nostrils flaring and adrenaline pumping through him, Matt ran as fast as a cheetah after Tai. Before TK and Izzy could do anything, Matt tackled Tai to the ground. As he rained blows down on him, TK and Izzy finally realized the seriousness of the situation and tried to pull Matt off of Tai.

"Come on, Matt, that's enough." TK tried to pull him off but was instead met with an elbow to the face. He cried out in pain as he placed a hand over his jaw and fell to his knees.

Seeing him down on the ground caused Matt to stop what he was doing. The adrenaline rushing through his system suddenly subsided, leaving him exhausted and drained. He looked down to see the damage he had done: Tai's lip was bleeding, bruises painted his cheeks, and a little bit of blood oozed out of his left nostril.

"I'm sorry, Tai." He pulled him up before checking on his brother.

"You're crazy, Matt. I'm beginning to wonder if I can really trust you with anything now." Tai frowned. "I'll see you guys later."

He walked away from them to where he said he would meet Sora, leaving the others to reel in the damage that was done. He tried to clean himself up really fast so that Sora did not worry about what had happened to him but the cut on his lip was still there. His nose had stopped bleeding, thankfully, but his cheeks were still bruised.

It didn't take him much longer to reach the dressing room and as he opened the door, there she was in all her glory. She had an expectant look on her face and the sexiest smile he had ever seen on her before.

"Hey there, Mr. Rock Star," she chuckled before seeing his face. The smile disappeared. "What happened? Are you ok?"

"Ah it was an accident," he shook his head, taking a seat beside her on the couch. "Just a little accident. Nothing more." Just as he finished speaking, he coughed, blood splattered on his hand.

Sora saw the blood and gasped. "This was no accident. What really happened?"

"Matt beat the crap out of me," replied Tai. "I don't know what's gotten into him but he is becoming an ass. I can't speak to him anymore without it devolving into an argument or just an all-out brawl, as you can see by my face."

She took some gauze as well as some cotton balls and began to rub the areas where he was still cut.

"Sweetheart, you know better than this," she chastised him. "Why is this happening? What caused it?"

"To be honest, I have no idea." Tai sighed. "All of a sudden, he just became anti-social and wouldn't speak to me unless it was to argue ever since you and I started dating. I think he's jealous of it and is taking his anger out on me."

Sora put down the gauze and cotton balls and hugged him. "Tai, while you may still be a hothead, he has to learn that he and I just didn't work out." She said. "I love you, and I always will, but you have to promise me that you guys will stop fighting."

"I can promise I won't but I don't know about him," he retorted.

"I don't care about him. I care about you." She cut him off as she laid her head on his chest. She felt him wince but knew he would be too much of a show off to admit that he wanted her off. She started to fall asleep and began to hear him humming. What he was humming was something she would never know until he started singing.

" **Ue o muite arukou. Namida ga kobore nai you ni.** " He softly sang in Japanese. " **Shiawase wa sora no ue ni.** "

Sora smiled up at him. "You know me too well."

"We've known each other our whole lives so it would be sad if I didn't," he smirked. "I know it's one of your favorites."

She lifted her chin off of his chest and that was when he locked his lips with hers. The two kissed for what felt like an eternity but what was really only a minute.

"I love you, Tai Kamiya."

Tai smiled, brushing a hand past her cheek. "And I love you, Sora Takenouchi. What do you say we take this somewhere else? The guys will be back any minute."

"Where do you have in mind?" She gave a teasing smile, knowing exactly where this was going.

"You'll see," he smirked right back.

They walked out of the dressing room to his car outside. After a few more minutes, they stopped at the hotel that he was staying at. Kicking in the door with Sora in his arms, Tai walked in and put her gently on the bed. What they did after…is only for the dark blanket of the night to know.

* * *

 **So while Tai gets his, sort of, happy ending, where will the band's relationship go next? Will Tai and Matt be able to work things out? Will TK and Izzy continue to be caught in the middle like George Harrison and Ringo Starr did? Find out on the next Digimon: Digital Monsters.**

 **Wow, things just got dramatic. The way things like this work is you set up the potential for problems, then you show cracks beginning to form, and…I'm sure you all know what comes next…things reach an all-time low.**

 **See you guys next time. Be sure to drop me a line..er I mean a review, and continue to favorite and follow. You guys are awesome. Bye.**


	5. Beast of Burden

**Right on schedule just like I have been so far. The drama is really heightened in this chapter, just so you guys know. I am happy to see the response to the story so far as we get further along this journey.**

 **I won't keep y'all waiting any longer. Don't own anything except the storyline. Picks up from the end of the last chapter.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

"Where is he?"

Matt paced around his and TK's hotel room, his brother still trying to wake up after a late night the previous night. After getting back from the show, Matt went to the bar at the hotel for a couple of drinks before going upstairs to go to sleep. It was not until this morning it hit him that Tai did not tell them where he went with Sora.

"Relax, bro," TK groaned, rolling around to try and wake up. "He's probably in his room. There are not many other places he could have gone."

Something snapped in Matt. The next thing was he rushed out of the room and charged down the hall to where Tai's room was. TK better be right about this or Tai was going to get it worse than last night.

* * *

' _Oh man, what a night.'_

Tai lightly groaned as he opened his eyes. Thankfully he shut the shades the previous night so the sunlight would not get in his face, blanketing the room in darkness. Feeling an arm draped around him, Tai looked over to see Sora sleeping peacefully. He smiled, remembering what had happened the previous night. It was the most incredible experience of his life, as it was for her. He leaned over and planted a kiss on her forehead, a smile working its way on his face.

A hard pounding on the door ruined the moment. Tai did not want to leave Sora's side so he just pretended he wasn't around.

"Damn it, Tai. Open this door!" Matt's voice screamed through the door.

"Go away!" He yelled, realizing his mistake a little too late. Sora stirred and rubbed her eyes.

"What's going on?" She groaned out.

Before Tai could answer her, the door opened and in walked a furious Matt, nostrils flared and face red from anger. He rushed over to the bed and pulled Tai out from under the covers, not caring that he wasn't decent.

"Get your clothes on and get downstairs." Matt ordered before walking out of the room. "Quickly!"

"Piss off!" Tai shot back.

"Now!"

As Matt walked out of the room, Tai was still trying to get his thoughts together but he noticed something on Matt's arm. What Tai saw looked like a row of healing scabs, like he had injected something into his arm.

' _That's odd.'_ He thought as he began putting on clothes. ' _Is Matt doing what I think he is doing? Well… he just took the whole Kurt Cobain thing to a new level.'_

* * *

 _Journal Entry #5_

 _Ishida, Matt_

 _June 24, 2010_

 _If things looked like they were about to fall apart, it was not until two years later when we were recording our second album that things truly blew up in our face. As usual, it came down to Tai and me._

 _Why did we always have these arguments? I guess it all came down to like Ritchie Blackmore and Ian Gillan, we both wanted control over everything. When powerful people lock horns, it becomes a full on wrestling match._

 _Tai, if you ever read this, I'm so sorry._

* * *

 _A year and a half later_

 _February 4_ _th_ _, 2010_

 _Recording studio_

 _Odaiba, Tokyo, Japan_

" **Temperature's rising, fever is high, can't see no future, can't see no sky. My feet are so heavy, so is my head. I wish I was a baby, I wish I was dead. Cold turkey…has got me…on the run."**

"Wait, wait." Matt's voice came over the headphones on Tai's ears. "Tai, what was that?"

"That was me singing the song," was Tai's reply.

"Well it wasn't the way that we agreed you would sing it." Matt shook his head. "Where is your concentration, Tai? Do it again, this time like you would normally sing it. None of that sensual, I'm-gonna-fuck-you-tonight, kind of stuff."

Tai rolled his eyes before Matt rolled the tape back so he could sing that part again. He didn't know why Matt was being such a tight ass about some of these vocals when they sounded fine to him. He looked over at Izzy, who shook his head as well. Izzy disagreed with how Matt was pushing Tai to the brink.

"Alright, Cold Turkey, take 6." Matt said over the microphone in the control booth. "Fucking do it the way I want you to sing it, Tai."

The backing tracks then played over Tai's headphones.

Tai gave him a glare as he settled into a rhythm so he could sing. **"Temperature's rising, fever is high, can't see no future, can't see no sky."** He sneaked a look at Matt, who wasn't giving any disapproving looks. It looked everything was going fine so far. Maybe this time Matt was happy. " **My feet are so heavy, so is my head. I wish I was a baby, I wish I was dead. Cold turkey…has got me…on the run."**

"Stop!" Matt yelled in the control booth. He slammed his hand against the panel in frustration as he looked back in the recording booth. Tai had taken off his headphones in a huff.

"What's wrong with that one? I like the way it sounded!" Tai said as got up off his stool.

"Well it's not the way we wrote the song. It's not the way I envisioned the vocals to match the music."

"Too bad. They're my lyrics, I should sing them any way that I want!" Tai yelled across the glass. Matt had enough of this and walked out of the control room and into the recording booth. It was clear by his face that he was not happy with Tai, and Tai was not happy with him.

"Why can't you just sing it the way I want it to sound? Is that too much for your miniscule brain to handle?"

Matt waved his arms around in a derogatory motion as Tai's face started to fume. Why couldn't Matt see that the way Tai wanted it to sound was so much better? Sure it was bluesier than a grunge record, but it still sounded like a diamond in the rough.

"No it isn't," Tai shot back. "I think you've gone tone deaf if you think that the way you want it to sound is what's going on the record."

Tai stopped and looked around the booth for a comparison object. He grabbed his guitar and played a C7 chord mixed with a B flat note. "It sounds like garbage and sewage had a kid and your tone is their love child."

Matt had a look of intense anger and hatred written all over. He wanted to punch Tai in the face so badly but restrained himself. "Fine. If you're going to be this difficult, then get out!" He yelled as he pointed towards the door that exited the recording booth.

Tai already started his walk out when he replied. "Fine by me. If you're going to be such an asshole about everything, I quit!"

"Go on and go." Matt was not going to back down. "Who needs you when you're being useless anyway."

"Good luck replacing me!" Tai retorted.

"If I can replace three members already, I can sure as hell replace you."

Tai walked out of the booth, grabbing his bag, then turned around with Matt watching. "To add insult to injury, I'm going to go be with my wife. Or is that forbidden for an EX BANDMATE?"

Matt wanted to run after him but was stopped by Izzy, shaking his head in a solemn tone. Izzy then ran after Tai to try and coerce him back into the studio. Izzy managed to reach him before he reached his car, Tai was guzzling down a drink of vodka.

"Tai, come on back," he said, trying to calm his friend's rage. "I know it's been a long recording process, we're all stressed, but we need to finish this song."

"Not if Matt is going to be a control freak." Tai shook his head in refusal. Izzy grabbed him by his over-shirt.

"You are being just as much of a control freak as Matt is," he said. "I think that you should be more open to his suggestions. He wants this song to sound great as much as you do."

Tai took another sip. "Well he and I have differing opinions on what sounds great and what doesn't." He shrugged nonchalantly.

"The point of being in a band is channeling those differences and coming to a consensus of what would work best." Izzy explained. "It's a compromise. Letting egos get in the way is when things take a turn for the worse."

"Gee, thanks for the advice, Dr. Phil," scoffed Tai. "I don't need you telling me about compromise."

"Well damn it, Tai, if you don't get over yourself, this band will cease to exist anymore. Me and TK have been patient but eventually that is going to wear thin with you guys arguing all the time over something as petty as how you sing a song."

Tai stopped for a second to really take in Izzy's words. He was right; crying over things like this was only going to make things worse. But how was he supposed to make this work when Matt was doing everything possible to make his life miserable? He had yet to tell anyone about Matt's supposed drug use because he wasn't sure of the extent to which the problem was.

"Fine, I'll come back." Tai sighed. "But make sure Matt stays off my case. One more 'It isn't good enough, Tai' and I'm done."

"I'll keep him out of the control booth." Izzy nodded. "I promise."

Tai shoved his bag into Izzy's chest before walking past him and into the recording studio. Izzy's natural curiosity got the better of him and he opened it. What he saw inside shocked him to the core: a bottle of Jack Daniels was in Tai's bag. Not only that, he saw many other empty bottles to go along with it, enough to fill an entire bar.

It just hit Izzy at that moment about why Tai's been more irritable than usual lately, why he was being more confrontational with Matt, why he was being more opinionated. Tai had a drinking problem and the evidence was right there in that backpack.

' _What is going on with those two?'_ Izzy thought as he walked back into the studio. ' _I think I understand what Tai's problem is but Matt I am not sure. I'm afraid of what I will find out.'_

* * *

After a few more hours in the studio and finally getting the tracks done, the guys decided to go out for a bite to eat. They stopped at one of their favorite places: a noodle shop not too far away from the studio. While Matt and Izzy were only having a couple of drinks to go along with their noodles, TK was not old enough to drink yet so he had a soda, Tai was drinking heavily.

Trading gulps of beer along with eating his noodles, Tai was smashed within a matter of a few minutes. TK and Matt were trying to talk about the production schedule but Tai's giggling and unfiltered rambling made it hard.

"So what tracks will we go over tomorrow?" TK asked as he took another bite of noodles.

"I'm thinking we knock out basics for 'Fantasy World,' and then finally finish 'Trident King.'" Matt replied until Tai grabbed him by the shoulder.

"Take a load off," he giggled as he took another sip of beer. "Don't be so serious."

"Don't you think you've had enough, Tai?" Matt glared at him.

"Nonsense," Tai slurred his words. "One thing about drinks are you can never have too many. There's no such thing as too many drinks."

"Uh yes there is and you're showing it," Matt retorted.

"I agree with my brother, Tai," TK interjected. "You need to slow down a little. Do you know how much trouble alcohol is in a vast quantity?"

"Of course I do, TNT," Tai flopped down onto the table in a laughing fit. "Don't you know that having sex with my sister in vast quantities is also bad?" Despite everyone giving him glares, Tai did not seem to acknowledge them in the slightest, carrying on like nothing happened. "That's right. I know all about it. You two always do it whenever you can. If you think you can fuck my sister behind my back, forget about it."

TK's face burned bright red in anger. "I have not had sex with your sister, Tai!" He denied. "We're planning on waiting, for your information."

"Tai, I think you should get out of here." Matt suggested, grabbing Tai by the shoulders and trying to pull him out of their booth. Tai tried to resist but he was powerless to stop Matt. Izzy grabbed Tai's legs, which proved difficult because he was kicking.

"Hey! Let me go!" Tai screamed.

"Sorry, Tai, but this is for your own good." Matt responded.

"Fuck you, Matt! You don't know what's good for me!" Tai continued to rage, shouting countless profanities and derogatory statements as Matt and Izzy carried him outside and signaled down a cab.

"Can you take him to Highton View Terrace for us please?" Matt asked the cabbie as Izzy pushed Tai into the back seat of the cab.

"Yeah sure," the cabbie nodded. Matt gave him some money for the fare and watched as the cab drove off. They could imagine just how crazy Tai was going at that moment.

"That was unusual." Matt said to Izzy as they continued watching the cab.

"All of Tai's behavior has been unusual lately." Izzy nodded. "I wasn't sure I wanted to say this but I feel as though I have to."

"What's that?"

"I found a bottle of Jack Daniels in Tai's bag earlier today when I tried to talk him down after the argument in the studio," explained Izzy.

Matt gave him an incredulous stare. Izzy sighed before elaborating further.

"There were many other empty bottles in his bag as well, and they were all fresh. I think Tai is an alcoholic."

Matt scoffed. "Wouldn't surprise me with how much he drinks." He turned back to go into the restaurant once again but Izzy cut him off.

"That's all you're going to say?" Izzy chastised. "Our friend could possibly have a life-threatening problem and you are acting like it's not a big deal."

"If Tai doesn't want any help or ask us to help him, then why should we try?" Matt carelessly replied.

Izzy performed an out of character action and slapped Matt across the face. Matt grabbed his sore cheek and stared at Izzy in shock. Izzy never got physical with anyone, at least not to his knowledge, so this was quite a surprise.

"Tai is our friend!" Izzy raged. "We can't leave him to dig his own grave. We have to stage an intervention in order to get him help because he won't do it himself. Contact everybody."

"Tai's your friend, not mine," Matt spat. "He destroyed our friendship when he chose to stab me in the back by getting with Sora."

"Is this all it's about to you?" Izzy retorted. "Making Tai suffer for marrying your ex-girlfriend? Maybe Tai was right, you are just jealous. Now are you going to help us get to him?"

"Why should I?" Matt turned away. "He's an asshole."

"You both are!"

After a few tense seconds and realizing they had caused a scene out in front of the restaurant, Izzy waited for things to calm down before giving his reply.

"You know, Matt, I wonder if the Crest of Friendship actually chose the right person. If you won't stand by and help a friend in need, then what kind of a person are you?" Izzy harshly said. "But I am going to help him. TK and I are staging an intervention. We would like you to be there."

Izzy walked back into the restaurant to tell TK of the plan, leaving Matt alone to think.

' _I wish it were that simple, Izzy.'_ He shook his head.

He rolled up his right sleeve to see the tattoo of his crest symbol. Flashbacks of the day they all got their crest symbols tattooed on their arms went through his head. Izzy was so afraid of the needle that he had to be sedated while Tai almost couldn't handle the pain. Had their crests lost their meaning as they got older? He rolled the sleeve down and lifted his left sleeve, a row of injection tracks were still scabbing over. He sighed and closed his eyes.

' _If only you guys knew how bad it really is.'_

* * *

 **Things look like they have reached a new low. Will Izzy and TK, along with their friends, manage to convince Tai to get help for his alcoholism? Will Matt finally accept what is going on within himself? Find out on the next Digimon: Digital Monsters.**

 **Oh man this is heavy. I feel for Izzy, his two friends are facing life-threatening problems but they can't come together to help each other. He's taking on more and more responsibility within the group and I don't think he really wants it. I think that this was some of my best writing ever.**

 **Leave a review as you guys read. Your opinions on the story bolster my resolve to keep churning out chapters quickly for you guys. Be sure to also favorite and follow the story so you can stay up to date on updates XD See what I did there?**

 **See you guys soon. Have a good day.**


	6. Backs To The Wall

**Here's chapter 6 for you all.**

 **Still don't own anything so don't try to think otherwise ;-)**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 _Journal Entry #6_

 _Ishida, Matt_

 _June 24_ _th_ _, 2010_

 _I couldn't bring myself to go to the intervention. Why would I go and say anything about someone else's abuse when I was doing it too? It would make me look hypocritical, even though no one in the band knew about how bad my drug habit was._

 _Should I have gone? I think it wouldn't have done anything else but create more drama._

 _Huh… drama, that's a good title. I need to remember that for later. Could be useful. Anyways, to go back to an earlier entry where I ask, 'was it all worth it?' In hindsight it was. It really was. But, we all had demons that had been lurking in ourselves ever since that fateful day back in 2005. Our addictions manifested themselves after Budokan, and now we've paid the price for them._

 _As I sit here and reflect on that time, I am left with more questions than answers about how we fell so far down the ladder, and only when we had been together for a short time. I guess that's how life works sometimes. One thing that echoes in my head is how Sora described the situation…our backs are to the wall._

* * *

 _Tai and Sora's Apartment_

 _Odaiba, Tokyo, Japan_

 _February 6_ _th_ _, 2010_

Tai let all of his frustrations out with a new bottle of Jack Daniels. "Those guys don't know how music is made! They've let the success consume them!" He vented, starting to hiccup as he took another gulp of whiskey. He had gotten back from another frustrating day in the studio and was ready to drink his problems away. Once again he and Matt clashed over how they wanted a song to sound and it ended with Tai walking out of the studio.

Sora looked at her lover with concern. He never said anything bad about how successful they've become. His alcohol abuse was apparent, and it was destroying him. She had no idea that what was going on was a problem. Sure he would come home drunk on more than one occasion but she thought it was no big deal. If she had known about it sooner, she would have tried to put a stop to it. She felt more helpless than she had ever been in her entire life.

"Sweetheart, maybe you just need to give yourself a break," She suggested. "Ever since you made it big at Budokan, you've been recording and touring nonstop. A break would do you some good."

"Well where do you suggest we go, good lookin'?" He giggled as he took another shot of whiskey.

She tried to grab the bottle out of his hand but he moved it away from her. "Put down the bottle and come with me. We can go shopping or see a movie. I hear Avatar is a really great movie."

Sora knew this was a long shot, but she had to try to save her husband. If he was going to keep up his drinking, it wouldn't just destroy him, but her, and something more. She looked down at her stomach and placed her hand there. She had to help Tai any way she could.

Tai turned his head, still buzzed from the last two shots.

"Sure, let's take a break from everything. Let's go on a honeymoon and have a nice vacation. While we're at it, I'll prepare a celebration feast for how wondrous everything is." He stopped as he looked outside of his apartment window. "Oh wait! I must work to provide for us! I can't just take time off, Sora. You know what that would do to us." He went back to their bed and plopped down on the hard pillow. He was out like a light in two seconds.

Sora sighed and got up from her position. She walked from their bedroom to the living room and sat down on the couch.

' _It is as I feared. Maybe it is time for us to be apart.'_ She shook her head at the mere thought of such a thing. ' _No! I can't do that. It would break up our family. I need to get the others and do something about this. My back is to the wall and I want Tai to know that he'll be there with me. Our backs are to the wall.'_

While Tai snored on the bed, she pulled out her cell phone. She knew whom she wanted to call. After dialing the number, it didn't take long for an answer.

"Izzy, you got a moment?" She asked. "You know how you said Tai needed help? Well now is the time...No, he's asleep right now after he took a few shots…Ok, then I will call everyone else and we will do this. Bye."

She disconnected the call and took a glance at her sleeping husband, snoring peacefully like nothing was wrong but she knew that wasn't the case. If something was not done then Tai could die and she didn't want that. Sora loved her husband, and had ever since they were kids. Even when she dated Matt, she still loved Tai.

' _I am not going to lose you, Tai.'_ She thought to herself. ' _I'm not going to stand idly by while you slowly drink yourself to death. You have too bright a future to throw it all away like this.'_

She glanced down at her stomach once again.

' _And I'm not talking about your career either.'_

* * *

 _Three hours later_

Tai sat on the living room couch, completely out of it and acting aloof. He did not understand why Izzy, TK, Kari, Sora, and his mother were all standing in front of him. Was something wrong? Was he going to get kicked out of the band? He hoped not. What surprised him the most was Matt not being there. Surely he would have relished the chance to bust his balls like he had been lately.

"Why are you guys all here?" He asked, his words slurred and bobbing in and out of consciousness. "Am I getting kicked out of the band?"

"No, Tai," Izzy replied. "Not yet anyway. I think you know why we are all here."

"No I don't," he shook his head. "Why are you guys here?"

TK stepped forward to speak. It hurt him to see his friend in this state and that they were at this point, but he had to do something to help him. He couldn't bear the thought of losing one of his best friends.

"Tai, you need to get help." He said. "Your alcoholism is getting way out of control. The other night in the restaurant was the tipping point. I've been in denial about your problem for a long time now but I've come to realize that you need help. We're not upset with you. We're concerned. If you don't stop this, it's not going to end well for either of us. Either you're going to die or we will have no choice but to kick you out of the band. Please, man. Do the right thing."

Kari then stepped up, tears in her eyes. It saddened her to see her brother like this: all strung out and not caring if he was. It shocked her to the core when TK told her that Tai might have an alcohol problem. She didn't want to believe it.

"Tai, I don't recognize you anymore. You're not my brother. You're this different person who drinks without any regard for how it would affect those around you. The old Tai is still there but he needs to come back out. You can't continue living your life like this. Like TK said, you could die from it." She sniffled for a second as she wiped the tears from her eyes. This was one of the hardest things she had ever done. "If you don't get any help, you can forget about seeing me again."

She studied his face, hoping that she got through to him. Her heart fell when she saw that his annoyed look had not diminished in the slightest. He still acted like this was a waste of time and he wasn't going to do anything, no matter what anyone said.

He got up off the couch, swaying a little before getting his footing together.

"Look, I appreciate all the kind words here but you guys are fighting a losing battle," he slurred. "I don't have a problem and you guys are just overreacting. I'm fine. Thanks for coming. Don't let the door hit you on the way out."

He started to walk away but Izzy was there to shove him right back down to the couch.

"You're not going anywhere," he said with a shake of his head. "Except to rehab."

"What's the matter with you, Izzy?" Tai protested, a look of shock on his face.

"The problem is with you, Tai!" Izzy retorted. "We're the biggest band in Japan and yet here we are, trying to convince you to go to rehab for alcoholism. If you don't stop drinking, you are going to die. Do you want to be like Bon Scott? John Bonham? Steve Clark? They all died from alcohol-related causes and I don't want you to end up like they did. The last thing you need is to mix alcohol with other stuff. You think you're invincible but you're not!"

He took a deep breath to get himself back under control before he resumed his speech.

"You're my best friend, Tai. We've been friends for almost eleven years now and I know the real you. You're the wittiest, most courageous, most loyal friend that I ever could know. But now I feel like I don't know you anymore. You need to get help. I'm not asking you. I am telling you. Get help or you're gone."

Tai rolled his eyes, like he didn't even care. "Fine by me," he seethed. "I don't want to be around assholes like you and Matt. Matt doesn't care. If he did, he would be here today. I'm done with him and I'm done with all of you. Get out of my life."

Everyone stood in shock at those words. It then truly hit them that Tai did not care what happened to him, whether being kicked out of the band or dying. He just wanted to drink and nothing else mattered. The Tai they all knew and loved was gone.

In desperation, Kari turned to Sora. This could be their last attempt to convince him.

"Sora, tell him!" She pleaded, a desperate look in her eyes. "He needs to know."

"Are you sure?" Sora asked, unsure if it was the right thing to do.

"Yes!"

Tai looked over in curiosity. "Tell me what?" He asked. "Nothing you guys say is going to change my mind. I'm not going to rehab and that is final."

Sora took a deep breath as she prepared to give Tai the news that would change their lives forever.

"Tai, I'm pregnant," she said, tears beginning to pool in her eyes. "I have been for the past few days. I was going to tell you but you were too drunk to even pay attention." She sniffled as she started crying. "I can't bear the thought of losing you like this. I love you, but I don't know if I can be with you anymore."

Once he heard that she was pregnant, something inside of Tai snapped. His face relaxed and his eyes grew softer from the glare he had on the entire time everyone was there. He was going to be a father? This was overwhelming.

"You're pregnant?" He asked, hyperventilating a little as a smile began at the corners of his mouth. "You're really pregnant?"

She nodded. "Tai, if you won't get help for yourself, then do it for me and this baby. If you don't get help, you will never see this baby, or me, again. I will make sure of it. If things don't change, I'm out of here. It kills me to see you like this but I don't know if I can take it anymore. I don't want my baby to have a father who cares more about his drinks than his family."

Something changed in Tai. After Sora gave her speech, the full gravity of her words hit him like a ton of bricks. He sat back down on the couch and bent over with his head in his hands. He started sniffling and soon his body convulsed in sobs. Sora moved to the couch and sat down beside him, rubbing his back in comfort.

"I'm so sorry, everyone," he sobbed. "I'm so sorry."

Sora wrapped him in a hug as she continued rubbing his back, feeling his tears drop on the crook of her neck. She kissed his neck, knowing that she had broken through to him. There wasn't a dry eye around as everyone else had tears in their eyes as well. They were relieved to see that Tai had finally gotten the message they were trying to send. As he stopped crying, Sora broke the embrace and looked him in the eyes.

"We love you, Tai," she said. "We all do. We don't want you being like this anymore. You have too much to lose. I promise I will visit you every day."

"Sora," he sniffled. "I love you. I've loved you ever since we were kids and I never gave up when you and Matt were dating. I'm sorry I've been such a jerk to you and everyone. I'm sorry for being the worst husband in the world. I'm sorry for everything."

He kissed her so hard that he was afraid he would hurt her. He picked her up before breaking the kiss and moving down to kiss her stomach.

"I love you," He whispered to her stomach. "Daddy's going to get better."

Turning away from his wife for a second, he embraced his mother and sister.

"I'm sorry, guys," he apologized. "I'm sorry for putting you through all of this."

"At least you recognized that you have a problem before it was too late," Mrs. Kamiya ruffled his hair. "We'll be with you every step of the way."

Tai nodded as his mother kissed his cheek. Kari hugged her brother tightly, tears still flowing out of her eyes. Tai rubbed her back comfortingly.

"It's alright, kiddo," he whispered, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "Everything is going to be ok from now on."

Moving to his band mates, he embraced the both of them. TK and Izzy were relieved to know that their friend was going to do everything he could to get better. They were going to make sure of it.

"I'm sorry, guys."

"It's fine, Tai," Izzy nodded. "Just get help. I'm going to make the announcement that we are delaying production on our album so you can get better. Don't worry about anything else."

"I'll tell Matt everything," said TK. "I'm sure he'll understand. Once you're out, you guys need to talk."

Tai nodded in understanding. He and Matt desperately needed to talk so they could air out differences and move on. The band's future was in their hands and if they didn't work things out, the band was no more.

"I promise," he said. "I will talk to him when I get out of rehab."

* * *

 _Later that night_

 _Matt and TK's Apartment_

 _Shibuya, Tokyo_

' _This is how I should feel all the time.'_

Matt was passed out on the bed in his room. He had just taken a hit of heroin and was reveling in the feeling it gave him. He felt peaceful, like he was a yogi sitting on a cloud. No matter how much he said he was done with heroin, he would always find his way back to it. He didn't go to Tai's intervention earlier that day. Why would he? It would be hypocritical for him to say anything about someone else's substance abuse when he was doing it as well. No one knew of course but it didn't make any difference. Part of him was upset with himself that he didn't go and try and support his friend but their relationship was so broken that the other side of him didn't want to. Needless to say, he listened to the other side.

After lying in this position for a few more minutes, Matt got up to take one more hit before bed. Washing his syringe in bleach, he took the dosage he wanted from the pack and ushered it into the spoon. Lighting a match, he put the spoon over it and watched the drug cook as it turned into a liquid state. He put out the match before tossing it in the trash. Taking a deep breath, he filled the syringe with the drug. Using his belt as a tourniquet, he tightened it across his bicep to cut off the blood flow. Aiming the needle right for his vein, he took a deep breath despite the leather of the belt in his mouth and injected the needle. He pushed down on the plunger to empty the drug into his system, waiting for that joyous feeling to take hold of him.

"Matt, I'm home," came TK's voice. Before Matt could try to cover up what he did, he heard his door open and TK walked into his room. "We managed to convince Tai to…WHAT THE HELL?!"

TK's eyes went wide as saucers, he couldn't move, his face was etched in a permanent state of shock. Matt still sat on his bed with the needle in his arm and an equally shocked look on his face.

Before Matt could say a word, TK rushed to his side and took the syringe from his hand.

"What is this? WHAT IS THIS?" TK shoved the needle in his brother's face, angry about this discovery. "Mind telling me what the hell you are doing with a needle in your arm?"

"It's a prescription," Matt protested. "Don't worry about it."

"Oh and doctors these days are prescribing heroin?" TK incredulously asked. "I'm not stupid, bro. Do you know what this means? Do you know how dangerous and addictive heroin is?"

Because of his drugged state, Matt couldn't do anything to stop TK from throwing his pack of syringes in the trash and confiscating the bag of heroin that he had beside him.

"Is there any more that I should know about?" TK asked as he searched Matt's room. "Huh? Where's the rest of your stash?"

It didn't take long for TK to find the other bags of heroin in Matt's dresser. There were three other bags full of the drug along with the rest of Matt's syringes. Those were quickly thrown into the trash.

"What the hell, man?" Matt protested. "I need that stuff! You can't just take it!"

"Watch me," TK retorted. "You don't need it, Matt. You only think you do but that's because your body is telling you that it needs it. Doing heroin is like doing Russian roulette: you can die at any time if you're not careful."

"I know that."

"No I don't think you do," TK stood firm. "What if you had overdosed and I wasn't there to help bring you back? Did you ever think about that? Why did you even get involved in this crap in the first place?"

"It helps me escape," replied Matt. "It helps me feel better about our success."

"Yeah sure it does," TK rolled his eyes, not buying his brother's excuse. "You can't face yourself. That's why you're doing it."

"I'm fine, TK. I don't need you being my mother."

"I don't need to be our mom to tell you that you have a problem."

"I don't have a problem."

TK sighed, realizing that Matt was going to be a tough nut to crack, like many other heroin addicts. His determination to help his brother in any way possible outweighed his despair for his brother's condition.

"We got Tai to go into rehab," he said. "Because of that, me and Izzy have made the decision to put the album on hold for now until Tai gets treatment. With this new revelation, I want you to seek help as well."

"Fuck you, man," Matt shot. "I don't have a problem and I'm not getting help. Who put you and Izzy in charge of band affairs anyway?"

"Since you and Tai began arguing and fell deeper into your addictions." TK shot back. "You're high most of the time and Tai was drunk every other time so me and Izzy had to take more control."

"We didn't agree to this."

"It just happened! Get help, bro."

"If you don't like it then you can just get out of my life for good."

Those words stung TK to his core. Tears began to pool in his eyes as he stared at the person in front of him who looked like his brother. The Matt he knew was gone, a heroin addict in his place. With a deep breath, he drove his own dagger into his brother's heart.

"You know what," he finally said. "I'm done with you. I can't stand you anymore, Matt. If all you care about is your next hit rather than thinking about how this is affecting the others around you, then I don't want to be around when you finally kill yourself. You are now dead to me."

Getting up and walking towards the door, tears sprang loose from TK's eyes, streaking down his cheeks. He sniffled before turning to face Matt one last time.

"I'm going to Izzy's. It's better than sitting here and watching you slowly kill yourself."

The door closed and perpetual silence overfell the entire room. Matt sat in shock at TK's harsh words. He knew that his brother was right but he was too stubborn to admit it. To take his mind off of what his brother said, Matt decided to turn on the TV. Already the first thing to hit him was a report about them.

" **Digivolution, the hottest band in Japan and one of the rising stars in the world, have hit a road block,** " said the reporter. " **According to people closely associated with the band, lead singer and rhythm guitarist, Tai Kamiya, will check himself into a rehabilitation facility for alcohol-related problems. This will push the recording of their second album back three months. There are also indications that bass player and singer, Matt Ishida, is facing substance problems of his own**.

" **Izzy Izumi and TK Takaishi released this official statement just now.** "

The TV cut to TK and Izzy standing out in front of their apartment building before hundreds of reporters.

"We ask for privacy during this very difficult time. Tai and Matt's health means more to us than anything, even the band itself." TK said. "I can only hope that my brother is watching this. Matt, please get help. I love you more than anyone else in this whole world and cannot stand the thought of losing you."

Izzy then stepped forward. "Thank you and we ask for your support as we help Tai and Matt through these difficult times. We will come back a better and stronger band than we were before."

Matt turned off the TV. It hurt too much to hear TK's words going through his head once again. After a while he couldn't take it anymore and broke down crying. His loud, pained cries were the only sound heard in the entire apartment.

After a few more minutes of this, Matt finally lifted his head from his hands with a determined look in his blue eyes, red and puffy now from all the crying he had done.

' _I'm done with this.'_ He thought to himself. _'I'm going to get my band, my friends, and my life back. I'm done with drugs. I'm done with being jealous. I'm done with being a negative creep all the time. I am going to get help.'_

* * *

 **With Tai and Matt now seeking help, will the band come back stronger than ever or will they decide to call it quits? Find out on the next Digimon: Digital Monsters.**

 **This was tough writing for me because it was very emotional to try and understand what goes into interventions and the likes but I hope I was able to execute it perfectly. Forget what I said last chapter about that being my best writing, this was without a doubt my best.**

 **Be sure to review as you go. They help a lot. See you guys next time.**


	7. Back In The Saddle

**Sorry for the two day wait for chapter 7. I was wanting to make sure that I did this right so I took the extra days to work on it. You guys are going to love this.**

 **Don't own most of the song titles or lyrics in this chapter, except for one.**

 **Hope y'all enjoy.**

* * *

 _Journal Entry #7_

 _Ishida, Matt_

 _June 24, 2010_

 _And that is the story of how I ended up here today. I'm taking it one day at a time and never looking too long term. I have been clean for the last four months and intend to stay that way._

 _Today is my last day in rehab. It's been a long journey; we had a meteoric rise only to have a meteoric fall from grace. But now that I am completing the program, we will be the best band we can be. I only hope that Tai and I can learn how to be friends with each other again._

After writing that entry, Matt felt a sense of relief fall over him. He flipped back through the pages of his journal to read over all of the entries he had submitted over the last couple of hours. His counselor thought it would help him with understanding his past and understand why he took drugs in the first place. It felt weird to go back over the entire past five years and see just how bad things really were.

He even went to look at some of the lyrics he started writing while he was in rehab. They were very personal songs and felt like they should go on the record. One song in particular, entitled Jealous Guy he wanted to be on the record. He wrote it as an apology to Tai and Sora and reflects on his behavior towards them, that song was followed by another one called 'Hey Jealousy.' He couldn't wait to share these songs with Tai and the others when they got together.

"Hey Matt," a voice came from the door to his room. It was his counselor Nasuko checking in on him. "Can we talk for a second?"

Matt put down his pen and closed the journal before turning to face him.

"Yeah sure." He nodded, getting up from the chair and sitting on his bed.

Nasuko came into the room and sat down on the bed as well.

"I noticed you've been writing in your journal lately," he said. "Good on you, Matt. Do you feel any better now that you were able to reflect on the past a little bit?"

Matt nodded. "Yes I do," he smiled. "It's hard not to reflect back on that time and think of what went wrong but I do know now. Tai and I let the success go to our heads. I was still reeling from Sora breaking up with me, and her going to Tai. Jealousy, pressure, and my parents' divorce were the reason I turned to heroin in the first place. I don't feel that way anymore. I feel like I can be anyone I want to be and I don't need to be jealous of my friend."

Nasuko nodded in understanding, a big smile working its way on his perfectly chiseled face. "Very good, Matt. You've learned well over these past four months. When you first got here, you told me that you felt forced to be here but now I see you wanting to make amends for the past and to change your life for the better. So many people come in only to never truly be reformed when they get out. You are not one of those people, Matt. I can see it in your eyes."

He stuck his hand out for a handshake. Matt nodded at the gesture and promptly shook his hand.

"Thank you, Nasuko. I couldn't have done this without you."

"Take care of yourself, Matt."

Matt nodded with a smile on his face. "I will."

* * *

 _Tokyo Rehabilitation Center_

Tai was putting the finishing touches on some lyrics that he was writing. Almost every day for the past four months he had been writing new songs. It brought comfort to him and gave him a sense of purpose. It had been a long, hard process for him to give up drinking but with the support of his wife, friends, and family, he was able to do it and now he was just a few short hours away from being free. Two songs were finished, though he wasn't sure about one. The name that he called it was very dark and even though it fit his situation perfectly, he was afraid it would cause him to relapse. Only time would tell if he went back to his old, dark ways.

Early on, he was not sure if he was going to be able to do it. He had the urge to get a drink almost every single day for the first two weeks. If it wasn't for Sora's visits and updates on their baby, he wasn't sure if he would have lasted the first two months. TK and Izzy would show up occasionally with songs they wrote together. Some were good but others Tai straight up did not like. He heard that they were working on projects with Kari and Mimi while he was in rehab and was excited to hear them.

"She said I can't take this place, I'm leavin' it behind," he sang to himself, reading the lyrics he had written down, remembering Sora's impassioned plea for him to get help. "She said I can't take this town, I'm leavin' you tonight."

He smiled. The lyrics were perfect for his situation. Going through titles for the song, he finally settled on one: Letterbomb. With that in mind, he wrote it at the top of the page. He reveled in the moment as he went back over the entire song. He had to show the others. It was going to be a hit. He just knew it.

"Tai?" A voice came along with a hand on his shoulder. Tai looked up from his lyrics to see his counselor, Mr. Nishijima. He was surprised to see him when he first came to the facility but took it in stride. In fact, he felt better about things with Nishijima being his counselor than he would have with anyone else.

"How you doing?" Nishijima asked.

"Fine, Mr. Nishijima," replied Tai.

Nishijima chuckled. "You know you don't have to call me that anymore right? We're not in school so feel free to call me by my first name."

"Ok…Daigo."

"Actually I'm going by Squall now." Tai's eyes widened with horror as his former teacher snickered. "Just kidding. How is everything? Did you make it through all right?"

Tai looked around with a heartfelt look on his face. "Yeah, and I even have new material written for when we do get back together."

Nishijima looked up with surprise. "You know, I've been a fan of your music since you guys started out."

Tai raised an eyebrow. "You have?"

"You bet," his former teacher slapped him on the back. "I was there when you guys performed at Budokan two years ago. It was an amazing show. I could feel the potential you guys had. I hope this little session produces good work."

"I call this song… Judas Touch." Tai said as he Nishijima went wide eyed.

"That's an odd title," he commented. "Sing some for me?"

"Of course." Tai sat down and got his voice in tone. "It could look like a sinner, it could look like a priest. It will always surprise you when you expect it least. It has called you brother. It has called you friend. When there's somebody with eloquence that has convinced you in the end. It has you in its snare, it will give you a hunch. It takes your dare, you've got the Judas touch!" Tai began yelling out, going back into his hard rocker mode, wishing that he had his guitar to shred about.

Nishijima was floored with how personal the song sounded. "I am impressed. You really need to look at releasing it as a single. Judas Touch… sounds like a good album name as well."

"Either that or Second Coming."

"Want to go for a walk really quick?"

"Sure." Tai nodded as they walked out of the facility.

The former teacher and student walked through the grounds, feeling the summer sun warm them and feeling the breeze. Tai felt more at peace during that moment then at any time during his time at the facility. He still carried his songwriting notebook in his arm.

"Outside of music, what else do you have to look forward to when you're out?"

"Well…" Tai's stomach felt like it had butterflies going through it. Thoughts of Sora and his unborn child ran through his head. That was the one thing he looked forward to the most but insecurity worked its way into him.

Nishijima noticed his daydreaming look. "Tai, you ok?"

He nodded. "Yes, I'm fine. I was just thinking about the one thing I'm looking forward to the most."

"And what would that be? You can tell me. As I told you on the first day you got here, you can talk to me about anything."

Tai sighed and ran his right hand through his hair before giving his answer. "I'm going to be a father soon."

Hearing that brought a smile to Nishijima's face, knowing that the reason Tai wanted to get sober was for his family. "Wow. Congrats. How long is your wife along?"

"Four months," responded Tai. "As long as I have been here." Frustration and guilt wracked his system. "If the booze didn't take over my life, I could be with her right now. But I'm not and I have to live up to that. I love Sora so much but I don't know if I'm deserving of her, or this baby we are about to have, because of my behavior over this past year."

Tears began to stream down his face. Nishijima knew what he was going through so he placed a hand on his shoulder. Tai looked up to look his former teacher in the eyes.

"Sora must really love you to stay beside you through this time," he said. "I see the two of you when she visits. You guys are the most loving couple I have ever seen. Your child could not have better parents. Many people do not have the motivation to kick their bad habits but you want to be a good father, a good husband, and a good friend as well. That takes courage, Tai."

Tai unrolled his right sleeve to look at the tattoo of the Crest of Courage on his arm. It helped remind him every day that he needed courage to get through the program and return to the band and his family.

"Thank you, sir." A timid smile worked its way on Tai's face as the tears continued to fall. "That really means a lot. Sora's the best. Without her, I don't know where I would be. I actually wrote something based on me about to become a dad on the first day of rehab."

He flipped his notebook open and turned to the page that had the lyrics that he wrote before handing it to his counselor. As Nishijima read over the words, he could feel the raw emotion in them. It almost brought him to tears.

"I just heard the news today. It seems my life is gonna change," he read out loud. "I close my eyes, begin to pray. Tears of joy stream down my face, with arms wide open." He closed the notebook, giving it back to Tai with tears starting to pool in his eyes. "That's beautiful, Tai. I can feel you pouring your soul into this song. It will definitely be a hit."

"You really think so?" Tai's face brightened a little more.

"I know so," Nishijima nodded. He caught a glimpse of his watch and was stunned by how much time had gone by.

"Oh jeez, would you look at the time." He chuckled. "I've gotta run right now, Tai, but if you ever need someone to talk to, you know where to find me. Doesn't matter when, where, or why, I will make time for you to talk to me about anything." He placed a hand on Tai's shoulder again. "Good luck. You're going to be a terrific father."

Tai nodded, tears still flowing from his eyes but out of joy rather than guilt. His smile was brighter than before.

"Thank you…Daigo."

Nishijima laughed, which Tai copied, before he walked away from his former student. Tai sat down on a bench, absorbing all of the emotions that he was going through at that moment. He felt grateful that his former teacher was willing to be a confidant and felt everything was going to be different from that moment on.

* * *

 _Later that day_

 _Starbucks_

 _Shibuya_

Matt sipped on a tall latte as he waited for Tai to show up. He had been free from rehab for a couple of hours and it felt great to finally taste freedom once again. This was the beginning of a new him and he couldn't wait to get back with the band again.

TK was the first one to greet him when he got out of rehab. It was an emotional meeting between the two of them; plenty of tears were shed, Matt apologizing for being a terrible brother and TK apologizing for the words he said as well. Afterwards, he texted Tai, knowing he was out as well, and asked if he wanted to meet up.

When Matt walked in, it took a few minutes until people finally recognized him. Several girls asked him for his autograph and asked to see his needle scars, which he didn't mind showing anymore. It was a symbol of his past and what he was working to get away from.

"Matt." Tai's voice came a few feet away from him. Matt put down his coffee and got up to give Tai a bro hug, which Tai eagerly returned. They hadn't seen each other in four months but just from looking at each other, they could tell that they looked better than they had before.

"How are you?" Matt asked as they broke their embrace.

"Much better than when you last saw me," said Tai with a wink. "How are you?"

"Same," his friend chuckled.

"You're never going to believe this but my counselor at rehab was Mr. Nishijima."

"What?" Matt snickered while shaking his head. "So he's a government agent, a teacher, and a rehabilitation counselor?"

Tai nodded.

"Wow. We just can't shake him. One way or another, he always finds his way to us."

"Yeah," Tai laughed as well. "He's actually a big fan of ours so I guess he wanted to look after me personally and make sure that I got well."

"I would be inclined to agree."

He then got up to go get himself a cup of coffee, leaving Matt alone for a few moments. Matt knew that the two of them had to talk about the past and get over some of their unsaid feelings towards each other so they could truly heal. They had been fighting for too long to just continue on like this. He pulled out his notebook so he could show Tai some of the songs he had written, unaware that Tai had his in his backpack as well.

After a couple of minutes, Tai returned with a tall mocha in his hand. He noticed the open notebook on the table between them.

"What's that?" He asked.

"It's the journal I kept when I was in rehab," replied Matt. "My counselor thought it would be a great idea for me to chronicle the band from the beginning to help me put my drug use into perspective. In between entries, I would scribble down some lyrics to keep writing new songs. I have some that I think are pretty good and I want to put them on the record."

He pushed the notebook towards Tai, who flipped through all of the emotional entries that went from their beginning up until recently. He felt tears starting to work their way into his eyes as all of the memories came back to him. He never knew that Matt was going through all of this turbulence nor did he know that he was remorseful about their arguments. Looking at the lyrics Matt wrote down, 'Jealous Guy' was the one that stuck out to Tai the most.

After he finished reading, he looked up at Matt.

"That's beautiful, dude." He smiled. "Now I feel sorry for not talking to you more. If I had been more understanding of what you were going through, I would have talked with you more about how you were doing."

"Don't worry about it, Tai," Matt dismissed. "It's I who should have told you about how I was still not able to get Sora out of my head. I was jealous of you because you now have what I used to have and that pissed me off. Then you started overshadowing me on stage and in the press, so that made me a little more jealous. The funny thing is if it weren't for me you wouldn't even be in the band. You're a lucky guy to have Sora in your life and I know you guys will be the best parents possible to your kid."

"You know, it's funny that you say you were jealous of me." Tai responded with a teasing look on his face, which covered the gratitude he felt towards Matt. "I was always jealous of you. You had direction, good looks, and girls always went for you. It never bothered me until Sora started going with you. Then it really drove me crazy. For the whole year you guys were together, I felt like I wanted to rip my heart out of my chest so I didn't have to feel anymore. I didn't want to be angry with you guys but I couldn't help feeling that way."

He sighed as the memories of those days came back to him. He looked at Matt's face to see if there was any anger, but there wasn't. The look on Matt's face was one of understanding and sympathy.

"Then when you recruited me and Izzy to join the band, I thought it was my one chance to impress her enough that she would like me. Obviously I was right but I was unaware that you were still affected by the end of your guys' relationship. It had been two years since you guys broke up that I thought you'd be over it. I don't blame you for being jealous of me, I'd be jealous of me too. I just want us to be friends again, Matt. Addiction is a powerful thing but we beat it together. Like how John Lennon was nothing without Paul McCartney, I am nothing without you. You're my best friend, Matt, and I want things to be the way they were before we became drinkers and junkies."

Matt took all of this in. Hearing Tai pour his heart out to him was something that he wouldn't have done six months ago, let alone any time before, but it was a necessary step towards mending their relationship. After a few thoughtful moments, he nodded his head in understanding.

"You're right, Tai," he finally said. "You're my best friend and I love you. I'm not proud of how I was when we got famous. I do have one question to ask."

"What's that?"

A teasing smirk flashed on his face. "I'm John Lennon right?"

Tai burst out laughing and it wasn't long before Matt joined in his laughter as well. The two friends could feel the bad feelings float away as they continued to laugh. Soon their laughter dissipated.

"I've got some songs that I wrote in rehab too," said Tai as he opened his backpack to grab his notebook.

He handed it to Matt, who skimmed through the four months worth of lyrics that Tai had written. Three in particular: Judas Touch, Letterbomb, and With Arms Wide Open, stuck out to him. He had trouble keeping the awed look off of his face, which Tai noticed.

"Amazed at what I wrote?" He teased.

"Dude, these are amazing," raved Matt. "We have to record these. They are too good to waste."

"There are several that I think will be hits. I think I wrote enough material for two albums."

That sentence sparked something in Matt's head. "That gives me an idea, Tai," he said. "Since we both wrote so much material and we already have a few songs recorded, let's turn our album into a double album."

Tai took a sip of his coffee, having a hard time suppressing a smile on his face.

"That is a terrific idea," he nodded. "Let's tell Izzy and TK about this when we meet up later. I can't wait to get back in the studio now."

"Me either."

"I've even got a new title for the album. It was originally going to be 'Champion' but I think this title suits it better. What do you think about 'Second Coming?"

Matt nodded. "It's perfect. We're coming back better than ever and I think the album should reflect that transformation."

Tai returned the action. "I couldn't agree more."

His cellphone went off. He grabbed it out of his pocket and looked at the message he received. It was from Sora.

"I gotta go," he said. "Sora wants me home. She's dying to see me."

"Go to her." Matt nodded.

The two bro hugged once more before getting up and leaving the barista.

* * *

 **Now that they are out of rehab and best friends once again, will Matt and Tai smooth things over with the band? Will they be better than ever? Find out on the next Digimon: Digital Monsters.**

 **Yes, Nishijima was Tai's counselor. It occurred to me while I was drafting this that Tai's rehab counselor should be someone who understands him well. To get inspiration, I watched Reunion once again (third time already) and bam! Nishijima came to mind. He's quite the renaissance man with all those things he does XD**

 **I'll be back on my regular updating schedule from now on. Just a few more chapters to go. Leave a review and be sure to favorite and follow as well. See you all next time.**


	8. Ordinary World

**Hey y'all. Back again with more. This is my longest chapter so far so all the more for you guys to read.**

 **Hope you enjoy it. Don't anything, save for Judas Touch.**

* * *

 _Matt and TK's Apartment_

 _Shibuya_

 _June 25, 2010_

The four members of Digivolution sat in the living room of Matt and TK's apartment. It was the first time all four of them were in the same room together in four months. Tai and Matt called a group meeting the previous day after getting out of rehab so that the entire band could talk.

Izzy and TK weren't sure of what to expect from their two band mates. The nervous energy from the two of them could be felt around the entire room. Were Tai and Matt truly reformed and going to move on from the past or were things never going to change?

Tai spoke first. "Hey, guys," he said nervously, unsure of what to say. "I'm sure you all know why we are here today. Matt and I are finally out of rehab and we just wanted to talk to you guys."

He looked at Matt, who gave him the nod of approval to go ahead and speak more.

"We just want to say that we are sorry about what has happened the last year or so. I wouldn't have been surprised if you guys wanted to leave the band, I would have wanted to leave too. But things are different now. Matt and I have talked and cleared the air so that we don't have the chains of the past hanging off of us." Tai paused for dramatic effect, reading Izzy and TK's faces. "Let's move forward starting right now. We have an album to finish and it's going to be the best yet, especially when you guys see the material Matt and I wrote. It's now going to be a double album."

The younger members' eyes widened at the mention of a double album.

"A double album?" Izzy was stunned. "Are you sure about that, Tai? What if it doesn't work?"

"If it doesn't work, then it doesn't work. At least it will be something that we wanted to do." Tai replied. "Once you see all of these new songs that me and Matt wrote, then you will understand where we are coming from."

"I actually like the idea," said TK. "Since you guys, I'm sure, wrote a lot of material while you were in rehab, then it would be good to share those experiences with our fans."

Matt nodded before taking a sip of water. "I'm really sorry, guys. I've been a terrible friend and brother the past year but I'm clean now and I intend to stay that way for good. Tai's right. We have to move forward. We can't change the past but we can make the future as bright as ever."

"I'm sorry too," Tai also apologized. "I'm done drinking and I want to be the best husband to Sora and father to our child I can be. I also want to be the best friend and band mate that I can possibly be as well."

Matt put a hand in the center of the room, the others staring at him like he was crazy.

"What do you guys say?" He said. "Are you with me?"

Tai put his hand on top of Matt's. "I'm with you all the way, Matt." He gave him a wink, which Matt returned.

Izzy hesitantly stuck a hand out and placed it on top of Tai's. TK soon followed.

"Let's make this album the greatest ever." TK smiled before they broke it.

* * *

 _Recording Studio_

 _Odaiba_

 _June 28, 2010_

The loud crunch of the guitars and the pounding of the drums filled the entire recording booth as Digivolution recorded their new song, Judas Touch. Tai and Izzy were recording the guitar and vocal parts while TK supplied the beat. Matt was in the control booth monitoring the recording. He would add his bass part later.

" **It has called you friend. When there's somebody with eloquence that has convinced you in the end. It has you in its snare. It will give you a hunch. It takes your dare. You've got the Judas touch!"** Tai sang into the recording microphone with a growl that would rival even Rob Halford as he strummed his guitar. Matt was impressed with how he was sounding. He actually was doing it the way that they agreed he would do it this time.

" **The Judas touch will bring you down. It will mess you up. Feeling like the world owes you more. You wear that stupid frown. You've got the Judas touch!"**

With one final strum of the power chords and letting the sound fade out, the song was over.

"Nice work, guys. That should be good for now." Matt's voice came over their headphones. "Come on in and listen to it so we can see how it sounds."

Putting their guitars down, Tai and Izzy walked into the control booth. TK got up from his set to join them a moment later after making sure his equipment was where he wanted it tuning-wise.

Matt rolled the tape back before playing the entire take from the beginning. The guitars were as through the roof as they sounded in the recording booth and TK's beat sounded like thunder from above. Tai's vocals were as tight as they had ever been. It wasn't long before the guys were bouncing along with the music and head banging. Tai even began singing along when it reached the chorus.

Matt stopped the tape, feeling the indication that it was excellent enough.

"So what do you guys think?" He asked. "It's good, no?"

The rest of them were floored by how it sounded. The song was going to be huge when it was finally released, no doubt about it. The smiles on their faces was all that Matt needed as he picked up his Mustang Bass and went into the recording booth. He put on the headset and made sure his guitar was in tune with the song.

"Remember that it goes E-A-C-G through the verse and then C-G-A-E on the chorus." Tai reminded him.

"Got it." Matt responded with a nod.

"Ok, stand by. Judas Touch, bass track. Take 1." Tai announced as he rolled the tape back to the beginning. Hitting play, the guitars and drums began playing over Matt's headset. A text ring came over Tai's phone and he looked at it. It was from Sora.

 _The girls and I are outside the studio. Would you mind letting us in?_

Tai responded quickly.

 _Yeah. Give me just a sec._

"Hey watch him, will you guys?" He asked his two other band mates as he moved towards the door. "Sora and the girls are here. I've gotta let them in."

"I've got it, Tai. Don't worry." Izzy nodded with a grin as he and TK supervised Matt's recording.

Walking out of the recording booth, Tai headed to the back door of the studio. Once he opened it, he saw his wife, sister, and Mimi all standing there. Tai's eyes drifted down to Sora's growing stomach right away.

"Come on in, you lovely ladies," he said, moving aside to let them all come in. "We're pretty hard at work."

After Sora followed, Tai pulled her aside into a deep kiss. After their lips separated, he kissed her stomach, whispering sweet nothings to their baby. Sora smiled as he turned his attention back to her.

"What brings you guys here today?" He asked huskily. "Surely it wasn't just to see musicians in action."

She snickered before kissing him once again. "I have some news about our baby," she smiled.

"Yeah? What is it?" Tai asked, eagerly anticipating what she had to say, hoping that it was good news.

The smile on her face clued him that the news was good.

"We're having a son."

Tai's heart leapt into his throat. His eyes lit up and the biggest smile you would ever see on his face came at that moment. He was so happy that he embraced her and locked her into another deep kiss.

"That's wonderful," he breathed, at a loss for words. The dopey smile did not leave his face. "I love you."

"I love you too."

They would have kissed again but Izzy came into the hallway from the control booth and interrupted the two of them.

"Alright, guys," he said. "I know you two are in love but we have a recording session to finish."

"Right. Sorry, Iz." Tai apologized before pulling Sora along into the control booth, where everyone had gathered to hear the full track of Judas Touch since Matt had finished his bass part. The song was blaring out of the speakers, almost as if trying to break free of the speakers and jump right into their souls.

Sora sat with her arm around Tai and their hands joined together. Tai had his other hand on her stomach, hoping to feel their son kick within her. TK and Matt were sitting at the control desk, Kari hanging off of TK like a koala on a tree. Mimi and Izzy couldn't keep their hands to themselves even if they tried.

Once the last of the guitars faded out, the song was over. Matt stopped the tape and turned to everybody else.

"So what do you guys think?"

"That's really good," smiled Kari. "I think you guys have something ground-breaking on your hands."

"Thanks, Kari." Matt nodded in thanks. "You really think so?"

She nodded. "Absolutely. It's nothing I've ever heard before."

Going down the rest of the line, the reviews of the song were overwhelming positive. After giving his take on it, Tai had something else on his mind that he wanted to say.

"Hey Matt, how many songs are we at now?" He asked.

That caused Matt to think for a second. When they resumed their recording after Matt and Tai left rehab, they had about ten songs recorded. Over the last three days, they worked like crazy that it almost became a blur.

"I think we're at twenty-six." He finally answered. "Why do you ask?"

"Because I have another song that I think I may want to put on the record," said Tai. "I already have the arrangements and everything. You just need to stay here and record it."

"Well what is it, Tai?"

Tai went into the studio to grab the new acoustic guitar that he had bought. It was a sunburst Taylor 814ce guitar. He went back into the control booth to show the song he had written. He placed the capo down on the seventh fret and started playing.

" **Where can I find the city of shining light, in an ordinary world?"** He sang. " **How can I leave a buried treasure behind, in an ordinary world? The days into years roll by. It's where that I live until I die. Ordinary world."**

Matt and TK gave each other amazed looks. They were so blown away by the song that while Tai kept playing, they nodded to each other. They had a good feeling about the song and the crossover appeal it would win them.

* * *

 _Zepp Tokyo_

 _Odaiba_

 _November 7, 2010_

" **What would you wish if you saw a shooting star, in an ordinary world? I'd walk to the end of the earth and afar, in an ordinary world. Baby, I don't have much but what we have is more than enough. Ordinary world."** Tai stared out at the audience as they waved lighters and camera lights around. After a tremendous performance that night, he decided to do 'Ordinary World' as the encore for the show. He was apprehensive about doing it for fear that their fans wouldn't like it but Matt convinced him to do it. So far the response had been very positive.

" **Where can I find the city of shining light, in an ordinary world? How can I leave a buried treasure behind, in an ordinary world? The days into years roll by. It's where that I live until I die. Ordinary world."**

He finished the words before continuing to strum the chords. All of the pain from the whole year seemed to vanish away at that moment. It was in moments like these that he didn't have to worry about anything but delivering a great show to the however many thousands of people who would show up to the show. Finally with one last strum, the light on him went out and the crowd went crazy. He handed off the guitar to their guitar tech as the rest of the band came up on stage for them to take a bow. With a final bow and waving to the audience as they walked off, the group could not feel any more thrilled than they were a that moment.

Coca-Cola was sprayed all over the dressing room and hugs were aplenty as they toasted to a phenomenal performance. It had been a while since the guys felt this great about a concert and it certainly wouldn't be the last.

"Did you guys see how crazy they went when they heard the new songs?" Matt ecstatically asked, a big smile on his face.

"Oh it was totally prodigious!" Izzy replied. "I thought they were going to blow the roof off of the place. They were screaming so loud and the album is not even out yet."

"Yeah," Tai interjected, equally as excited as his band mates. "Ordinary World went better than I thought it was going to."

"I told you it was going to be a hit," Matt nudged his ribs. "Sometimes you just have to trust your gut, Tai."

Tai nodded in understanding as he took a sip of soda. His cellphone started ringing at that moment. It was Kari.

' _Why's Kari calling me?'_ He wondered.

As he answered it, he was met by the sounds of panting. A concerned look etched its way on his face.

" _Tai!_ " Kari's voice came over the line.

"Kari? What's up?" He asked.

" _Where are you? You better have a good reason for this, mister._ "

"Me and the guys just finished a show at Zepp Tokyo. Whatever you have to say to me, can it wait a little while?"

" _Are you kidding me?_ " She screamed, causing Tai to move the phone away from his ear for a brief second due to how loud it was. " _Sora is in the hospital, about to give birth to your son, my nephew. Get over here now!_ "

Tai almost dropped his phone in shock. Sora was in labor? All of a sudden, all of the good feelings that he felt from the end of the show were gone. Instead they were replaced by fear, panic, and other unsettling emotions.

" _Tai? Are you still there?_ " Kari's voice broke his thoughts.

"Y-y-yeah I'm still here." He stuttered his words, tossing his phone around so he could get it back under control after almost losing it. "What hospital are you at?"

" _Kototoyosu,_ " replied Kari. " _Drop what you're doing and get over here. You are not missing the birth of your son. I don't care if Paul McCartney comes up to you and wants to hang out, get over here now._ "

"Ok I'll be there." He hung up before she could get in another word. The guys noticed his little display of buffoonery and looked at him with more than concerned looks on their faces.

"Everything ok, Tai?" TK was the first one to ask.

Tai brushed some of his hair away from his forehead with his hand, trying to remain as calm as he could.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he squeaked out, feeling himself start to lose that grip he tentatively had. "It was just Kari. She was calling me to say…" he then finally let his emotions loose. "Sora is giving birth! I've gotta go."

He ran out of the room before anyone could say a thing. Pushing through the crowd of people in order to get to the parking lot behind the building, Tai was too possessed by his desire to get to the hospital to apologize when he would shove people out of the way.

He reached his car and literally dove into the front seat. He started the car and drove off towards the hospital like he was in the Fast and Furious movies.

 _Don't worry, Sora. I'm coming._

* * *

 _Kototoyosu Hospital_

 _Koto, Japan_

"Where is he?" Sora demanded as unspeakable pain went through her entire system. All around her, nurses and nurse's aids were scrambling to keep track of her vitals as they helped keep her comfortable for when the big moment happened.

"He said he's on his way," said Kari, who was beside her the whole time. "He'll be here."

Sora groaned as she twisted her head on the pillow in agony. Everything hurt so much that it was hard to narrow down exactly where she was hurting.

"Why did it have to be tonight of all nights for him to have a show?" She complained. "He knew that the baby was close. Why tonight?"

"I don't know but there is now way that the two of you could have known that you would be delivering tonight." Kari tried to keep Sora as calm as possible.

' _Tai, you better get here fast.'_

As soon as she thought that, the door to the room was burst open and in walked the young man that her urging was directed at. Tai immediately rushed to her side, giving the nurses the explanation that he was her husband as they tried to stop him. They let him through without a fight after he clarified that. He took her hand in his.

"It's about fucking time!" Sora cursed, slapping him across the face. "Where were you?"

"I had a show. Remember?" He retorted, his cheek stung from the slap but ignored the pain. "How are you?"

The anger that had been on Sora's face disappeared, a smile replacing it.

"Fine now that you are here," she replied.

Tai turned to Kari to apologize to her as well. Just like Sora, she slapped him on his other cheek.

"What was that for?" He protested.

"For making me worry about you." Kari snapped before walking out of the room and towards the waiting room. The nurses and their aids walked out after a few more minutes, leaving the couple alone for the first time that night.

"So…you nervous?" Tai asked, trying to lighten the mood.

His wife nodded.

"So am I. Just think: soon we're gonna have a baby. Who would have thought almost a year ago that you would still be here with me after hitting the lowest point of my life?"

Sora sighed before answering him. "It's because I never stopped loving you, Tai. Even at your lowest point, I knew that the real you was in there somewhere. Our son is the product of that love."

Tai smiled a warm smile before leaning in to kiss her on the lips. "Yes he is."

The nurses came back in soon and made Sora more comfortable. The doctor was not too far behind them and thus began the long process of labor.

* * *

 _Waiting Room_

The other members of the band managed to finally reach the hospital after loading up their equipment and heading on over. Mimi and Kari were there to explain everything to them: that during the show, Sora started going into labor and she and Mimi had to carry her from her apartment to the hospital.

"Man, I wish we could have been here a little earlier." TK said as he crossed his arms while sitting on a chair. "Has Sora had the baby yet?"

"No, not yet." Kari shook her head, shaking his shoulder with her hand. "They think that she will soon. I can't believe I'm going to be an aunt."

"How do you think Tai feels at this moment?"

"Scared, insecure, afraid," Izzy rattled off words. "How many more words would you like to know?"

"That'll do just fine, Izzy." TK flicked a finger at him with a chuckle. Izzy smiled back, looking to break the tension they all were feeling.

Mimi snickered to herself as her boyfriend and friends joked around to pass the time. She looked over at Matt, who wore a concerned look on his face.

"Matt, you ok?" She asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Mimi." He replied. He stared down the hallway, not looking at anything in particular, as he was lost in thought.

"You're concerned about them, aren't you?"

Matt nodded. "Of course. It's hard not to be. I just want the baby to be healthy." He said.

"We all do," she turned his face towards hers. "They're our friends."

Izzy came over to them, looking like he wanted to speak to Matt alone.

"Hey Memes, can you give the two of us a minute please?" He asked.

"Yeah sure." She kissed him on the cheek and walked away, leaving the two alone.

"Izzy, I…" Matt began before Izzy interrupted him. He knew what Izzy wanted to talk about and was more than ready to. In fact, he almost welcomed it.

"Say no more, Matt," said Izzy. "I'm the one who should be apologizing to you. I regret what I said about the Crest of Friendship choosing you. I was wrong to say that, knowing what I know now. You are more than deserving of it. Friendship is what defines you and you play it really well."

Matt snickered. "Sometimes I wish I was you, Mr. Crest of Knowledge."

Izzy chuckled with him. "Me? Knowledge and intellect; those are not as important as friendship and bravery. Without the courage to know or having friends alongside you, knowledge is nothing."

"Fair point."

Izzy then went to sit back down beside Mimi and joke around with TK and Kari, leaving Matt alone with his thoughts.

' _Good luck, you guys.'_

* * *

After three more hours, Tai and Sora's son was born. Hearing his cries for the first time, Tai broke down crying on the spot. After a few more minutes, the nurses returned him after weighing him.

"He's perfectly healthy," said the nurse, carefully handing the baby to Sora. "Came in at seven pounds, six ounces."

Sora broke down crying as she looked upon the face of her newborn son. He looked just like his father, although they wouldn't truly be able to see it until he was a little older. He had his father's face, little wisps of brown hair, but his mother's nose. Only time would tell whose eyes he would have.

"He's so cute," she choked out, tears streaming down her face. "He looks a lot like you, Tai."

Tai moved a little closer to get a look at him. She was right, he did look a lot like him. He kissed Sora on the side of the head.

"I love you," he whispered to her, love permeating each word. "Now we are complete."

She kissed him back.

"Want to hold him?" She asked.

He nodded with a giddiness to him that could almost be reserved for a schoolboy. Carefully cradling him, Tai held his son close. He was completely speechless and amazed that the baby he was holding was his own child.

"Sorry I'm all sweaty and gross," he whispered to his son. "Daddy had to perform tonight for lots of people. They appreciate it when Daddy performs for them and he loves doing it. Hopefully you can be there to see one of my concerts someday."

His son mumbled, almost as though he had heard him. Tai's smile grew even wider and another tear streaked down his face. He turned to his wife.

"You see that?" He said. "He heard me."

"I hate to burst your bubble but you know that he didn't, right?" She deadpanned. "It still takes a while before babies can fully hear."

"I know that but let me have some fun here." Tai playfully pouted. "I should go let the others know that he was born."

He gave their son back to her before walking out of the room towards the waiting room. His band mates, sister, and Mimi all stood up, awaiting the news that they knew he was about to give them. Due to the big smile on his face, they were able to conclude that the baby had been born.

"Oh my gosh! " Mimi was the first one to reach him. "Congratulations, Tai. Is he cute? Does he look more like you or Sora?"

"Mimi, calm down." Izzy tried to calm her down. "Let him tell us."

Taking a deep breath, the smile not leaving his face at all, Tai gathered his bearings to tell them all the big news.

"Our son has been born," he said. "He is very cute, Mimi. He looks a lot like me but we will see whether he's more like Sora, or me, as he gets older. Completely healthy, there is nothing wrong with him."

"That's good to hear," said TK. "Do you mind if we see him?"

"Of course. Come on."

Tai led them all down the hallway to Sora's room, where she and the baby were still lying awake on the bed. Sora smiled a tired smile as she saw the rest of their friends walk in.

"Hi guys."

"Hey," Kari reached her first. She felt her heart about to burst as she caught sight of her nephew's face for the first time. She wanted to cry too but kept it together. "Is this him?"

"Yes," Sora nodded before whispering to her son, "This is your Auntie Kari. I'm just going to hand you to her. Ok?"

She carefully handed him to Kari, who proceeded to make cute baby noises as she held her new nephew. After a few more moments of this, she looked to Tai.

"What's his name?" She asked. "Surely you guys have thought about a name after all this time."

"Jeez, I don't know," Tai rubbed his temple. He looked at Sora. "What do you think, Sora?"

It did not take Sora long to answer. "Tatsuke. Tatsuke Yamato Kamiya."

Hearing those words roll off her tongue, Tai chuckled with an even bigger smile than what had been on his face for the past few minutes. That was all Sora needed to know that Tai liked the name.

"I love it!" He exclaimed.

"Wait, Yamato?" Matt asked, making sure he heard correctly. "His middle name is after me?"

Tai nodded. "Yes, Matt. There's no better friend I would want to have other than you. Sure we have had our differences but if I were ever in a bad situation, I would trust you to get me out of it. What do you say about becoming his godfather?"

Matt was floored by the invitation, not expecting it at all, but nodded. "I would be honored to, Tai."

"Ooh! Ooh!" Mimi jumped excitedly. "I'll be his godmother. I can be godmotherly enough."

Tai chuckled. "Sorry, Mimi, but me and Sora already agreed that Kari would be his godmother."

Mimi puffed out her cheeks in disappointment. "Fine. But if you guys have another kid, I want to be the godmother."

"You got it."

* * *

 **With a new baby in the picture, what does the future hold for the band now? Find out on the next Digimon: Digital Monsters.**

 **Hope you guys all enjoyed that chapter. Cute, no? Let me know in the reviews. Just as I said above, what is coming now for the band? You'll see soon enough.**

 **See you guys later.**


	9. America

**Hey y'all. Decided to take a few days on this one just so I can get it right. The guys are going to America in this chapter.**

 **The first song used in this chapter does not belong to me while the second one does. The first song belongs to RADWIMPS.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 _Haneda Airport_

 _Tokyo_

 _March 2_ _nd_ _, 2011_

Out on the tarmac, ready to board their charter jet that would take them across America, Digivolution waited almost impatiently to get going. This was their first American tour and they were extremely excited about it. They would be going coast to coast in six months, with plenty of time to see America. TK, out of the four of them, was the only one lucky enough to have been to America back when he and Kari were with the second group of Digidestined.

With their luggage already loaded onto the plane, the guys had their backpacks on them and were saying goodbye to their families. Kari would be joining them as their opening act due to her rising success in not just Japan, but the United States as well. She hit the top twenty with her debut album and already had two top ten singles in the U.S. Besides, as she put it, there had to be someone keeping an eye on the guys and make sure that they did not cause any trouble.

After saying goodbye to Mimi with a hug and kiss, Izzy stepped onto the plane. TK and Kari were not far behind them, walking on hand in hand. Tai was saying goodbye to Sora, who carried their four-month-old son Tatsuke in her arms.

"Man, it stinks that I have to be gone for six months." Tai groaned, not happy at all about being separated from his family for that long. "I don't like it, honey."

"I know you don't," replied Sora, gesturing to their son. "But me and our little man will be here waiting for you when you get back."

Tai smiled as he looked at his young son. He was starting to look more like a baby version of Tai every single day. His brown eyes locked with the brown eyes of his son before taking him from his wife's arms.

"I'm going to America, buddy," he whispered to him. "Someday maybe you'll go there. But for now, just look after your mommy and Auntie Mimi. Daddy loves you. Yes he does."

He kissed the side of his son's head before handing him back to his wife.

"I'll be back before you know it, honey," he said. "I promise."

He kissed her on the lips one last time before getting on the plane with the rest of the crew. Sora felt tears starting to well up in her eyes. Six months without her husband, and with a young son. She was not sure if she was going to be able to handle it but then remembered she had her parents and Tai's, Mimi of course, and Joe to look after her. She'd be fine.

' _Be safe, sweetheart,'_ she thought. _'For our son…and for me.'_

* * *

 _Somewhere over the Pacific Ocean_

All Tai could see from the window of the jet was miles and miles of ocean that stretched far out to the horizon. It had been six hours since they took off from the airport and they still had a long way to go before they reached Seattle, their first tour date in America.

To pass the time, the guys joked, played cards, and slept. Right now Izzy and TK were passed out asleep in their seats. Matt was listening to music and scribbling down in his notebook, possibly something that could become a song, and Tai continued looking out the window, a miserable look on his face. Occasionally he would look away from the window to glance at a photo of him and Sora together with Tatsuke over Christmas. It brought a smile to his face every time.

Hearing someone sit beside him, Tai looked to see that it was Kari who sat down. He gave her a small smile before continuing to look at the photo in his hand. It did not take Kari long to figure out what was vexing her brother.

"Miss them already?" She asked.

Tai nodded. "Yeah."

"Don't worry about a thing, Tai. They are going to be just fine and will be there when you get back." Kari patted her brother on the shoulder.

"I know," he sighed. "But I can't help but feel like because I have to go away so much, Tatsuke will grow up feeling like he never had a father in his life."

"That's ridiculous."

Tai sighed and turned away to look out the window again. Kari would not let him off the hook like that so she dug in further.

"He knows that you love him, Tai," she said. "I know it. Besides, it's not like immediately after Sora gave birth, you had to leave or something. You were there for the first four months. You're a better father than Odysseus was. He was gone for twenty years before he returned home."

That caused Tai to chuckle, knowing the story of the Odyssey from school. At least he can say he learned one thing from school.

"Yeah, I guess I can say that."

Kari placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry. Everything is going to be fine. Try and focus on the tour, why don't you, instead of worrying about your family. They're in good hands."

Tai nodded more assuredly before putting some headphones on and listening to his music while pulling out a book to read. Taking this as her cue to leave, Kari moved further back until she noticed how closely Izzy and TK were sleeping together. A devious idea worked its way into her head. With an evil smirk, she carefully draped Izzy's left arm across TK's chest and pushed him closer. Trying to suppress a giggle, she sat down in the seat next to their row and watched her plan unfold.

It didn't take long until Izzy started moaning in his sleep and moving his hand up to TK's cheek, obviously dreaming about being with Mimi. He then started kissing TK's neck. The younger blonde moaned happily in his sleep, thinking it was Kari, until he opened his eyes and looked over at who it was.

Izzy woke up too and their eyes locked. It took a few tense seconds before it finally clicked with them.

"AGGGGHHHHHHH!" They both screamed, sounding like they were being murdered.

Izzy got up from his seat and rushed to the lavatory at the front of the plane to dry heave while TK wiped his neck from the kisses that Izzy had planted. He heard sounds of hysterical laughter beside him and saw Kari doubling over in laughter at her handiwork. It did not take him long to put two and two together.

"Oh you wanna play that way, do you, babe?" He said, grabbing the ice from his drink and prepared to stuff it down the back of her shirt. "Well two can play at that game."

"Oh no you don't!" She giggled, getting up from the seat and moving away from him but he kept up the pursuit. She moved to where Matt was sitting, hoping that he would back her up.

"Matt, help me!" She pulled the headphones off his head. "TK's trying to shove ice down my back."

It took a few moments for things to click with Matt because everything happened so fast. "Wait…what? For what reason?" He asked.

"It's only fair," retorted TK. "She pranked me with draping Izzy over me while we were sleeping. He ended up kissing me, thinking I was Mimi."

Matt looked between the two of them, unsure of who to side with. On the one hand, what Kari pulled was hilarious and hysterical but on the other, it was also completely juvenile. Not sure of what to say, he just decided to let them sort it out.

"You two figure it out." He put his headphones back on, the sounds of punk rock music noticeable if one would listen closely, and continued writing.

"Matt!" Kari whined as TK had an evil smirk work its way onto his face. If Matt wasn't going to do anything, then she was fair game.

"Oh you are gonna get it now!" He cackled as he resumed chasing her.

Kari tried to get away from him but she didn't make it a few steps before he grabbed her and stuffed the ice down the back of her shirt. She squealed as she felt the cold, wet squares go down her back. TK then spun her around and kissed her. She tried to pull away for a moment but then all of her resistance shattered as she melted into the kiss.

The two pulled apart after a few more moments. Kari gave TK a smirk.

"You drive me crazy." She teased. "You know that, right?"

He copied her smirk. "Yeah, I know. But you still love me anyway."

"That I do." She kissed him once again.

* * *

 _KeyArena_

 _Seattle, Washington_

 _March 3, 2011_

"Thank you, Seattle!" Kari waved as she walked off stage from her performance.

The crowd applauded her, having been impressed by her entire performance. She may have looked like a pop star but she could sing rock like the best of them. Two of her songs, 'That Don't Impress Me Much' and 'The Warrior,' were the ones that got people on their feet and singing.

Walking backstage and into the band's dressing room, she could see that they were all getting in the zone for when they went on. Tai and Izzy were tuning their guitars while TK was tapping on his practice pad. Matt was trying to get his hair right so when he went on stage, he looked good.

"Well, guys," she said. "Good luck. I got them all warmed up for you."

"Thanks, Kari, you were really great out there." TK smiled at her. "Not bad."

She snickered. "Thanks."

Kari kissed TK on the cheek before walking out of the room and into her own dressing room. TK watched her leave, a smitten look on his face. He felt so lucky to have her as his girlfriend and would never want any other woman than her for the rest of his life.

He was so focused on Kari that he didn't hear Matt come up behind him and wrap an arm around him.

"Call a doctor, guys," he said. "Because TK has a bad case of loving Kari."

Tai and Izzy chuckled while TK's face turned a deep red. Matt razzed him for a little while longer until it was time to start getting dressed for their show. Since they were in Seattle, Matt wanted to go with his "grunge outfit;" consisting of a green over-shirt, black t-shirt, black jeans with a chain stretching from the back pocket to the front, black Chuck Taylors, and a necklace around his neck.

Tai snickered when Matt reappeared after getting changed.

"How appropriate it is that the grunge king wears a grunge outfit in the city of grunge." He laughed.

Matt made an obscene gesture towards him but with a lighthearted smile on his face, which caused the other guys to laugh as well.

For the next half hour, they sat around waiting for their turn to go on stage. They were all tired from the long trip there but thankfully not as much as the day before when they arrived in Seattle. As soon as they got to the hotel from the airport, they did everything possible not to go to sleep in order to not mess up their body clocks due to the time change. Matt, Tai, and Izzy had an easier time with it than TK, who was out like a light in an instant when they got to the hotel.

Matt and Tai went sightseeing: the Space Needle, Seattle Center, even Pikes Place Market, while Izzy and TK stayed behind with Kari, who also had fallen asleep due to the jet lag. For the most part, they were largely anonymous and weren't approached for autographs. They both thought that Seattle was one of the most beautiful places in the world after seeing it.

"I never knew there was this much green anywhere." Tai had remarked to Matt when they were at the top of the Space Needle.

Soon it was time to get ready to go out. The guys were all finally dressed and ready to see what America's response to them would be. TK turned his new Seattle Seahawks hat backwards as they put their hands in.

"America. The big times." Tai said. "You know you've made it when you reach America. Let's go out and show them how good we are."

"Whether they love us or hate us, we're going to deliver the best show that we can," agreed Matt. "This is something I've dreamed…no, we've dreamed of since we started. Let's go for it."

"WHAT TIME IS IT?" Tai yelled.

"TIME FOR THE EVOLUTION!" His band members responded and they pulled their hands out of the circle. With adrenaline and energy going through their system, they walked towards the stage. The lights went down and their entrance music began playing, to delightful screams from the crowd.

Tai smiled and it continued to get bigger as they finally got on stage and hearing the crowd go absolutely crazy. The lights came on them, giving the Seattle audience a look at the young Japanese men that they had come to see. Tai basked in the audience's admiration, spreading his arms out wide and throwing his head back.

Izzy started the opening riff to their first song and TK came in with the drums. Tai ran up to the mic.

"Seattle, Washington!" He yelled. "We travelled a long way to get here tonight so let's all go fucking crazy! Are you ready?"

The crowd responded with even louder cheers than before. Tai then joined in with the rest of the band as the song got into gear. Tai ran around the stage, as Izzy and Matt stood face-to-face, playing to each other it seemed.

" **At last, "Hello!" You've opened your eyes. But why won't you even look me in the eyes? What's wrong with you? You angrily tell me that I'm late..."** Tai sang at a fast pace, looking out at the audience with a smile on his face. " **Well, I'm sorry, but I did my best and running at my fastest pace. My heart overtook my body as it flew to find you in this place."**

The audience started jumping and thrashing around due to the high-energy nature of the song.

" **Seeing your hair falling, and your eyes glowing, hurts my very core. Wish I could breathe in the same dimension…I don't wanna let it go! Now that I am finally faced with the voice I've known for so long, I don't know what the words should be. The very first I say to you."**

* * *

*Montage sequence of them performing the song*

 _Rose Garden_

 _Portland, Oregon_

 _March 4_ _th_ _, 2011_

" **Back in the Zenzenzense, until this day, been looking everywhere for you. I follow the sound of your innocent laughter and it guided me in the right way. Even if every piece of you disappeared, even if it scattered everywhere. No I won't waver. I'll start back at 1, look for you all over again."**

 _The Shark Tank_

 _San Jose, California_

 _March 6_ _th_ _, 2011_

" **Or maybe I'll take the whole universe back to zero again. Took millions of light-years to come up with a verse so my love song will never end."** Tai smiled as he and Izzy strummed their guitars at a fast pace to end the song. Running to the top of the steps on the stage, with one nod to each other, them and Matt jumped and ended the song. The crowd roared so loud that it threatened to blow the roof off.

* * *

 _Staples Center_

 _Los Angeles, California_

 _March 7, 2011_

" **Baby, I never wanted you to feel incomplete. I just want you to be my one and only. Baby, you're so vain, and it's driving me crazy. I never meant to cause you any pain, just want you to be dancing in the rain."** Matt belted out the words with Tai and Izzy starting to come in on the last part.

" **Come and dance with me."**

" **Dance."** Tai and Izzy harmonized.

" **We can be all we can be."**

" **All we can be."**

" **If you'll just come and dance with me. Come on, baby. Won't you come and dance with me?"**

The crowd went nuts as the guys ended the song with one final strum of the guitars. Going to the front of the stage for their bow, they raised their hands high and reveled in the adoration from the crowd before bowing. With one last wave to the crowd, they ran offstage.

Girls screamed and tried to grab on to them when they came through the backstage area but security kept them back. Matt stopped to notice a girl around the same age as him; she had dark brown hair, beautiful green eyes, and an 'I Love Matt' t-shirt. She was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen, and he knew that he had to know her name. She smiled at him, which he reciprocated.

He turned to the head security guy.

"Hey, Jerry, let her in." He pointed towards her.

"You got it, Mr. Ishida," said the head of security before motioning to the other guards to let her through. She came forward as the other guards held the crowd of girls back.

"Hi." Matt smiled at her, taking her hands in his own.

"Hi." She squeaked out. Her face was so red that she could have been mistaken for a cherry. She felt like she wanted to faint at that moment from the excitement of meeting Matt.

"I'm Matt," he introduced himself before glancing down at her shirt. "Nice shirt."

She almost squealed. "Thanks. I'm…" she suddenly got nervous, realizing that Matt Ishida was holding her hands. "My name is…uh…Christine."

"Christine," Matt let the name roll off his tongue before he flashed a smile at her. "That's a pretty name. Did you enjoy the show?"

"Oh my gosh, I loved it!" She squealed. "I especially loved you. Just the way you move on stage and especially when you sing, I just loved it all."

"Ah I'm nothing special," he humbly shrugged it off. "It's not about me or any specific member. We are all in it together."

"So humble. I admire that."

Matt looked deep into her eyes for a brief second, feeling something that he hadn't felt since he and Sora got together years ago. Even though women, including a certain Jun Motomiya, threw themselves at him, he always would shrug them off. With Christine, he felt something different.

"You want to come back to the dressing room with me and meet the guys?" He asked, hoping she would.

She gasped and babbled for a few seconds at the offer, unable to believe that her hero was asking her to come backstage with him and meet his band mates. Unable to fully give him a yes, he took her nod as enough to confirm it.

He led her towards the dressing room and as they opened the door, the smell of marijuana hit them full blast in the face. Matt looked around to see if anyone was doing anything they shouldn't but there weren't any joints lying around. Izzy and TK were playing cards and Tai was missing from the room.

"Guys," he said as they walked in. "Why does it smell like weed in here?"

Izzy and TK shrugged their shoulders, looking like they didn't know what he was talking about.

"What are you talking about, Matt?" TK wondered. "It doesn't smell like weed in here. Maybe you're just smelling the fragrance that was put in here."

Izzy nodded. "Yeah, that's probably what it was."

Matt didn't quite buy what they were saying but he didn't have any concrete evidence to point to so he left it at that before turning to Christine.

"Guys, this is Christine." He introduced. "She tells me that she is a big fan of ours."

"Hi, guys." She waved to them. Izzy and TK exchanged words of pleasantry before turning back to their card game.

Tai came up from behind them. "Not hard to see who she likes the most," he teased, looking at her shirt. "Hi there. I'm Tai." He offered his hand for a shake, which she accepted.

"I know who you are," she smiled as she shook his hand. "You guys are amazing."

Tai chuckled with a smirk before laying a hand on Matt's shoulder. "Well it's all thanks to this guy that we're here. Go ahead, make yourself at home."

And she did just that. Christine and Matt sat down on the couch in the middle of the room and talked for a good half hour, mostly just about general things to try and get to know each other a little more. The other band members watched on with smirks on their faces, being able to read the situation perfectly.

"It's been a pleasure to meet you guys but I think I should probably get going," said Christine, getting up from the couch and grabbing her bag.

"Hey wait," cried Matt, getting up to meet her at the door. "Do you have a number that I can call you at sometime?"

Tai and the others giggled like schoolgirls. Matt glared at them but Christine snorted as well.

"You bet." She pulled out a piece of paper and wrote her number down before handing it to him. "See you around, Matt." She smiled at him with a wink before walking out.

Matt watched her leave with a longing expression on his face. It wasn't long until his friends came up behind him and started razzing him.

"I love you. I love you." Tai teased.

"When's the wedding, big brother?" TK interjected.

"If my calculations are correct, I must say you have a bad case of infatuation, Matt."

"Will you guys shut up!" Matt raised his voice, which shut them up quickly. "Just because I ask a girl for her number does not mean that we're dating."

"That's what they all say," said Tai in a singsong voice.

TK and Izzy went off to go check on Kari, or so Tai and Matt thought, while Matt sat down on the couch and reveled in the events that just happened. He wasn't sure where Christine would fit in the grand scheme but he knew that it was going to be special.

* * *

 **Looks like Matt has a little admirer. Is she someone who will be important in his life or will it just be a passing thing? How will the rest of the American tour stack up? Find out as we continue on Digimon: Digital Monsters.**

 **This reminds me of that old KISS song, Christine Sixteen. Despite the song, I did not use that for Christine's name. The first song was the RADWIMPS song from the hit anime movie Your Name. I've become obsessed with the music from it lately so it possibly may pop up in another chapter or two. Y'all should look into it.**

 **As always, be so kind as to leave a review and favorite the story. See you guys next time where some things don't go as planned for the group.**


	10. When It's Time

**Hey y'all. Decided to give you guys a break from me updating at such a rapid pace that I waited a week to put this one up XD On a more serious note, I'm sure many of you are aware of the dates and know what is coming up soon in March, 2011. You'll see what it is in this chapter.**

 **Don't any of the songs mentioned or used in this chapter or Digimon. Enjoy.**

* * *

 _The Magnolia Hotel_

 _Dallas, Texas_

 _March 10_ _th_ _, 2011_

Tai reclined back on the bed of his hotel room in Dallas, hoping to catch some rest before they had to go do the show at the American Airlines Center, not too far away from their hotel thankfully, in just a few hours. Once they got to Dallas earlier that day, they realized just how horrible the traffic there was. It took them almost an hour to get from the airport to the hotel, which for a Thursday was pretty bad.

"At least it's not as bad as L.A." Matt had quipped but to Tai, it felt even worse.

Most of the exits were so confusing that they kept having to turn back around a few times before they finally were able to reach downtown and get to the hotel. Everybody went their own ways after they settled in to their adjoining suites; Izzy went down to the lobby to update the band's Facebook page from his laptop, Matt went to the hot tub to relax, and TK and Kari went for a massage to get them loosened up for the show. Tai was left to hang around the room and relax a little bit.

' _Speaking great English has helped big time in this country. It's like a second home to me_.' He thought to himself.

Sure enough, when they first got to America and met with the promoters, the promoters were shocked to hear that the guys spoke really good English, even though they were from Japan. Several times they were asked if they really were from Japan because of how good their English was.

The last few days had been a blur of stage performances, hotel rooms, planes, and airports. It was all becoming a bit monotonous after a while. When they were in Phoenix on the seventh, it was literally hotel-arena-plane, all in that order. They didn't even get a chance to explore the city. If they didn't slow down this frantic pace, bad things were going to happen.

He was currently finishing an email to Sora telling her how much he missed her and Tatsuke and all that had been going on over the past week. Sure it had only been a week but he still had a few more months of this and he wanted to let her know that he was thinking about them every second he was gone. He loved his wife and son so much that it killed him to be away from them, even though he loved being a famous rock star. After finishing the email, he sent it off and turned off his phone.

But just as he was about to doze off to sleep, the door to the room burst open followed by the sounds of panting. Tai lifted his head from the pillow to see that it was Izzy, bent over and breathing heavily to get air back to his system, sweat doted his brow. He looked like he had run up the stairs to their room on the 19th floor.

"Izzy, what's up?" He asked. "You're all sweaty."

Between taking gasps of air, Izzy barely managed to say many words but the words he did get out were in small gasps.

"Turn…on…TV." He said. "Big…news."

Tai looked at him with a blank expression. Izzy rolled his eyes and grabbed the remote from the side table. The television turned on with a flash of light. Izzy flipped through the channels until he found the right news station he last saw.

" **At this time we do not have many other details other than what we know,"** said the reporter. " **But what we do know is that a massive, 9.0 Richter scale earthquake has hit off the coast near Sendai, Japan. It struck at 2:46 pm, local time, and already has caused massive damage. We also have confirmed reports that a tsunami has washed up there as well."**

Pictures of all the destruction and devastation came on the screen, bombarding Tai and Izzy with the horrors of what had happened. An overwhelming feeling of fear gripped Tai's chest. He hoped that Tokyo was far enough away from the earthquake that it was not affected by it.

"Was Tokyo affected?" He asked.

"Yes it was," Izzy nodded his head. "I haven't heard anything bad out of that area though so we may be lucky."

Tai did not hesitate to pick up his phone and dial Sora's number. He didn't care that the phone company was going to charge him for the long distance call, this was an emergency and he needed to know that his family was alright.

The phone rang for a few seconds before a tired voice picked up the other line.

" _Hello?_ "

"Sora?" Tai hoped and prayed that it was his wife.

" _Tai? What's going on?"_ Sora asked. " _Do you know what time it is?"_

"Right. I'm sorry," he apologized before explaining. "I just heard about the earthquake and tsunami. Please tell me that you guys are ok."

" _We're fine, Tai. Don't worry."_ Sora reassured her husband. _"We got a notice before the earthquake happened so we moved somewhere safe."_

Tai sighed in relief, happy to know that his wife and son were safe. "What about our parents? Mimi? Joe? Are they all ok?"

" _Yes, they're okay. Mimi's a little shaken but she'll be fine and Joe was on the ground floor at the hospital so he was safe. Things got a little tossed around but that's it."_

"Sit tight. We're coming home." Tai got up from the bed and started gathering his stuff before Izzy could stop him.

" _No. Stay in America."_ Sora protested, now sounding wide awake for five o'clock in the morning. " _The airports are shut down right now and besides, we're ok. Where are you guys now?"_

"Texas," he replied. "And even in March, it is hot as a mother here. Phoenix was much worse, I may add. I could not stand it."

Sora laughed on the other line.

" _Sounds like quite a place if it is so hot."_

"Trust me, you do not want to experience it." Tai chuckled with her. Realizing he was running up the time, he needed to end the call soon. "Ok, I just wanted to check on you and make sure that you were ok."

" _I appreciate it. I've got it all under control here. I guess I better go check on Tatsuke."_

Tai smiled at the mention of his son. "How is he?"

" _He's fine. He misses you. I know he does."_

Tai's face seemed to get a little brighter, even if it didn't seem possible. "Well once he starts teething, you're going to have your hands full. If I am any indication, it's going to be a nightmare."

" _Thanks for the tip."_ Sora laughed. _"Love you."_

"I love you too." He replied before hanging up. The fear that had gripped his chest evaporated and he sighed in relief. He flopped down on the chair beside the bed, his hand brushing through his hair.

"Is everyone ok?" Izzy asked.

"Yeah they're ok." Tai nodded. "We got lucky."

Before Izzy could reply, TK and Matt came in from the door dividing their rooms.

"Did you guys hear about what happened?" Matt asked, a look of panic on his face, before turning to see that the television was still on.

"Yeah. I called Sora to make sure that they were ok and everyone we know is perfectly fine." Tai reported. "Tokyo got some shakes but it was not nearly as bad as what Sendai got."

TK and Matt nodded in understanding, thankful that their parents were ok. They sat down on the couch and watched the news reports. Matt got on the phone with the road manager to let him know of what was going on and they may possibly want to postpone the concert while they got everything sorted.

"What do you guys think? Should we postpone the concert?" He asked the entire group once Kari came back to the room.

TK was the first to speak. "I think we should just because we're not going to be all in on it while focusing on making sure our friends and family are ok." He said.

"I agree with that." Izzy agreed. "We should make sure everyone is safe before we do anything else."

Matt took a breath before he spoke. "I understand where you guys are coming from. I really do. But as Tai said, Sora and the others are fine. If someone close to us were hurt, we would have a reason to postpone it, but we don't. We should push on and do the show. We'll take a day off tomorrow if you guys want to."

"I'm with Matt on this," replied Tai. "The worst is over and everyone we know is alright. Let's do it."

The four of them looked at Kari, as she was the deciding vote between the five of them. She thought about it for several moments before giving her answer.

"We're doing the show."

Tai and Matt nodded in understanding while TK and Izzy rethought things over after being outvoted by one. Knowing that their loved ones were okay made the decision a little easier but they still couldn't help but feel they should take time to process what had happened.

"Ok," said Matt. "Let's get ready to go. We have a show to do, gents and lady."

Tai and Kari got up and went to get their clothes and gear together. Matt went to do the same in his and TK's room, this left only Izzy and TK alone in the sitting room.

"Do you wanna…?" Izzy asked TK.

"Yeah," he nodded. "But let's go to the bathroom so no one suspects anything. We'll need to be quick."

* * *

 _American Airlines Center_

 _Dallas_

The crowd was roaring in anticipation as the lights went out. Soon the symphony of 'O Fortuna' played throughout the entire arena. Digivolution was about to come onstage.

Making their way from behind the wings, Matt and Izzy walked out to the delighted screams but TK stopped Tai for a moment.

"What's up?" Tai asked, curious as to what the youngest member of their band was wanting to ask him, even with their adoring public waiting for them.

"Tai…" TK took a deep breath before giving his explanation. "I'm thinking about asking Kari to marry me tonight and I would like your blessing. I would like to do it during the show, if that would be ok."

It took Tai a few seconds to think things over. It seemed so sudden that TK would bring this up, he hadn't given him any indications whatsoever that he planned on asking Kari to marry him. There was also Tai's protective older brother personality to factor in, even though Kari was now nineteen and did not need him to protect her all the time. But then Tai figured out that it wasn't Davis or some other guy that he barely knew proposing to her, it was TK. He had known this kid since he was eight years old and trusted him completely. Tai then gave his answer.

"Ok," he nodded. "You have my blessing to ask Kari to marry you."

TK gave him a hug.

"Thank you, Tai," he said happily. "You're the best."

Tai smiled. "You're welcome, kid. Now let's go give these people a show."

And the two of them walked out from behind the wings to take their places on stage, waving to the crowd as they came on. Izzy and Matt gave Tai looks that suggested they were wondering what kept him and TK so long but Tai ignored them as he reveled in the attention from their adoring fans.

After a few seconds of nothing but the crowd cheering, Izzy strummed the first notes of their opening song with TK following on drums.

"Dallas, Texas!" Tai yelled into the mic, cheers roaring from the crowd. "They say all things are bigger in Texas, so let's make this the biggest party that Texas has ever seen. Are you ready?"

The crowd roared even louder than before.

After Tai's speech, the song kicked into full gear with Tai running up and back on the catwalk that stretched to the middle of the arena floor, the smile never leaving his face. He loved being onstage and loved being in front of a crowd.

" **So young in love, they couldn't wait. Said their vows just to run away. Suddenly, they felt their lives had changed."** He sang. " **They believed their hearts were strong, just to find they couldn't get along. The dream they shared had slowly come undone."**

From behind the drums, continuing the beat and transitioning to the chorus, TK had this nagging feeling that Tai was singing about him and Kari. He reminded himself that it was crazy. They had already decided that 'Never Walk Away' would be their opening song, so it wasn't a spur of the moment thing like they had been accustomed to see happening lately.

About an hour into the show, Tai decided that now was the time for TK to make his move. Taking a sip of water, he came back to the microphone.

"How's everybody doing tonight?" He asked. "You guys having a good time?"

The crowd roared in response.

"Awesome. Now, as I'm sure many of you are aware of, a massive earthquake and tsunami struck Japan while we were all sleeping last night. Since we hail from the land of the rising sun, I would like to ask that you guys keep Japan in your prayers as we deal with this tragedy. Together we stand, divided we fall. Let's stand together."

The crowd was silent as Tai continued speaking. TK got off the drums and walked down until he stood right beside him. The crowd then cheered as Kari came from the wings and onto the stage, waving towards them with a smile.

"TK's got a song that he wants to sing," said Tai. "So he's going to take this one away."

He walked towards the side of the stage to grab his Taylor acoustic guitar as TK stood up front, his hand taking Kari's into his own. As Tai strummed the first chords of the song, TK felt his heart leap into his throat with anticipation at what he was about to do.

" **Words get trapped in my mind. Sorry I don't take the time to feel the way I do. Because the first day you came into my life, my time ticks around you."** TK had a real smooth, easy voice that caused a few girls in the audience to start swooning. " **But then I need your voice, as the key to unlock all the love that's trapped in me. So tell me when it's time to say I love you. All I want is you to understand, that when I take your hand it's 'cause I want to. We are all born in a world of doubt, but there's no doubt. I figured out I love you."**

As he guided Kari down the catwalk, sweat went down his brow and his stomach was practically quivering at what he was about to do. His face moved in towards hers and their lips met in a passionate kiss. The crowd went wild with whistles and loud cheers. TK broke away from her as he then got down on his knee. A gasp went through the crowd as he reached into his pocket.

"Kari Kamiya, you make me feel like the luckiest man in the world." He began. "I've known you for almost twelve years and I am honored to be your boyfriend for the past four."

He took a deep breath as he began to lose his nerve in order to regain it. He presented the box to her.

"Kari, will you marry me?" He asked as he opened the box, revealing the shiny diamond inside, glaring due to the lights.

Tears streamed down Kari's face as she took all of this in. She did not know what Tai had in mind when he asked her to come on stage in the middle of the set but now she knew. The microphone was pointed at her and over 20,000 people awaited her response.

She nodded her head and a smile burst onto her face.

"Yes." She responded.

The entire crowd went crazy as TK embraced Kari in his arms, giving her a kiss on the cheek. He slipped the ring on her finger before continuing the song as they walked back to the stage hand in hand.

" **I feel lonely for, all the losers that will never take the time to say. What was really on their mind instead, they just hide away."** He sang, unable to take his eyes off the ring on her finger. " **But they'll never have, someone like you to guide them and help along the way, or tell them when it's time to say I love you. So tell me when it's time to say I love you."**

As Tai strummed the last few chords, TK pulled Kari into another passionate kiss. Once the song ended, the crowd roared so loud that the roof was nearly blown off the arena. The two of them had the biggest smiles on their faces as the weight of what just happened came over them. TK hugged her this time.

"I love you." He said to her.

"I love you too."

With one final wave, she walked off the stage and back to the dressing room while he got back behind the drums.

"Let's here it for them!" Tai said as the crowd applauded even more.

TK waved to the audience with a drumstick in his hand.

"Alright, everybody knows this next song so sing it as loud as you can. You got it?"

Izzy then began playing the first chords of 'The Passenger,' which caused the crowd to explode into cheers.

* * *

 **With TK and Kari getting engaged, things look like they couldn't be better despite the earthquake. What are TK and Izzy doing that is so secretive? Find out on the next Digimon: Digital Monsters**

 **The song TK sang was 'When It's Time' by Green Day, one of their most underrated songs in my opinion. I dunno if I'll take a week before I update again but we are nearing the end of the story. I've already got another idea brewing.**

 **Here's a hint: a campfire site holds many stories. That's all I'm going to tell you.**

 **Be sure to leave a review as you read, which I know many of you are doing. Over 1,200 views. You guys rock. See you guys next time.**


	11. The Green Manalishi

**Hi guys. Starting to get towards the end here but enjoy this latest installment of Free As A Bird.**

 **This chapter focuses on the behind the scenes stuff more than the actual on stage stuff, so a bit of a change from that, but I'm sure you all will love it just the same.**

 **Enjoy.**

* * *

 _Madison Square Garden_

 _New York City_

 _May 20_ _th_ _, 2011_

The sounds of pyrotechnics on the stage were going off with louds bangs and booms. Matt stood with the pyro technicians to make sure that everything went the way that he wanted it to be. He wore his sunglasses so that they couldn't see what he was thinking ( **A/N: He looks like Yamaki** ). He also wore them because he was tired and didn't want to show it. The sound technicians were working out the final kinks on the monitors before they finally could start working on the sound. Then they could make sure that everything was set to go for the gig that night.

Matt was the only one present to watch over everything; TK and Izzy were relaxing in the dressing room and would be called to the stage when they were ready, and Tai still had not shown up yet surprisingly. Matt asked his other two band mates if they knew where he was but they didn't have a clue. He was starting to get frustrated. Over the last few gigs, Tai had been showing up late to sound checks and seemed out of it on stage when they would perform. He just seemed to be going through the motions rather than enjoying it like he always did.

When the pyrotechnics finally ended, the head technician turned to him.

"What do you think of that, Matt?" He asked. "Is that what you wanted?"

Matt didn't show any emotion but simply nodded his head.

"Yes," he replied. "I like what you guys came up with but for that last one, as we go for the final notes of the song let's just keep it simple and have an explosion. It's simple but it's effective. Get somebody on it."

"You've got it."

Matt then turned to the sound technicians.

"Are we set to go now?"

"Yup. All set, Matt." The technicians gave him the thumbs up.

Matt nodded with a smile and walked to the dressing room backstage to tell Izzy and TK that they were all set to go. He also hoped Tai had shown up or else he was going to have to do something about it. He didn't want to but he could only tolerate so much.

Opening the door to the dressing room, he saw Tai had finally arrived while TK and Izzy were talking. He was slacked over a chair with his left leg on the arm of the chair and his arm across his knee. He looked like a zombie with a spaced out look and his eyes flickering like he didn't get any sleep at all.

"Oh hey, Matt," he groaned out, his words a little slurred. "How's it going?"

"Tai, where the hell have you been?" Matt crossed his arms. "This is the fifth time in a row that you have been late for sound check. What's up?"

Tai tried to sit up but wound up falling off of the chair. He let out a small yelp as he hit the ground before laughing wildly, like he saw the fall as more of a joke than something serious.

"Whoa, what a trip." He took a swig of the drink in his hand. Matt took a closer look at it and saw that it was a bottle of Jack Daniels. His eyes went wide as Tai took another sip from the bottle.

"Are you drinking again?" Matt demanded, grabbing the bottle from Tai's hand. "What happened to 'I'm never letting another drink touch my lips'?"

"Plans change, Matty boy." Tai replied, irritated that he had his drink taken out of his hand. Matt grabbed Tai by the shirt, nostrils flared and eyebrows narrowed in utter anger.

"Look, Tai," he said. "I know you have been stressed lately. Ok? We all are. I know it is not easy being away from your family for so long but drinking is not the answer. I would cut my throat before I will let you almost drink yourself to death again."

Matt took a second to let that sink into Tai's brain, hoping that he was seeing what he was trying to tell him. Tai didn't seem to be getting the message, a glazed look was in his eyes and he wasn't paying much attention.

"Don't you get it, Tai?!" Matt's face turned red with rage.

"I heard you. I've just got a bad hangover right now." Tai responded, placing a hand on his head to try and nurse some of the throbbing pain. "We can talk about this later. We've got a sound check to do."

He got off the chair and walked out of the room towards the stage, leaving Matt to wonder what exactly was going on inside of his head. Tai could be an open book at times and then there were times where he was the most complex individual that you have ever met in your life.

"I guess we're all set then," said Izzy as he and TK walked out to join Tai. "Let's go."

Matt stayed behind a few extra moments. He smelled something in the room that did not smell natural, kind of a watery smell. Sniffing around, he followed the source of the smell until he realized that it had been right in front of him this whole time. Looking down on the coffee table, he saw two small white sticks smoking at the other end. He brought one up to his nose to smell it, reacting immediately in disgust when the smell went up his nostrils.

"Weed." He whispered to himself. His eyebrows narrowed in annoyance. Someone was smoking weed in their dressing room and Matt was going to find out who it was.

But that could wait for another time: something more important needed to be done about Tai. Matt took his cell phone from his pocket and dialed the number of the person he needed to speak to the most.

"Hello?" The voice at the end of the line answered.

"Hello, Daigo," said Matt. "We have a bit of a situation here. It's Tai and he's relapsed. How fast can you get to America?"

* * *

 _That Night_

Tai and Matt had just finished getting ready for the show, dressed in their stage attire and fixing their hair the right way so that they looked presentable. For now it was just the two of them, Izzy and TK were off somewhere but they weren't sure exactly where they were. They could hear the crowd murmur in anticipation outside of the backstage area. Their first performance in New York City and they sold out Madison Square Garden. Mimi gave them a boost by telling them that she told some of her friends in New York about their performance and they were going to be there. As if they didn't need any more pressure than they already did.

Tai finally got over his hangover and was set to go out on stage and deliver a good performance. They still had four months left on the tour so he could not afford to let one slipup derail everything.

After finally nailing down the look he wanted, Matt turned to his friend.

"You nervous, buddy?" He asked. "New York City. One of the toughest crowds you will ever get in front of."

"A little bit, man," replied Tai. "Then again, I always get anxious when we are about to go on stage."

Matt wrapped an arm around Tai's shoulder, hoping to ease his concerns. "We've put in two months of solid shows. This one is not any different than all the ones we have done already."

Tai smiled at him and nodded. "Yeah, you're right. Let's go find TK and Izzy so we can all go on stage." He said as they walked out of the dressing room to find their other two band mates.

Walking down the hall, they could hear the sounds of hysterical laughter and the smell of marijuana. Looking at each other with knowing looks, they followed the laughter and marijuana smell until they stopped in front of a supply closet.

Silently counting to three with nods, they broke through the door to a shocking sight. Thick vapor blanketed the room in the smell of weed and sure enough, Izzy and TK had joints in their hands.

"The gig is up!" Izzy shrieked as he and TK jumped back from the sudden intrusion, laughing like hyenas.

"We are in huge…trouble." TK bent over with a snicker and collapsed to the floor, feeling high as a kite.

Tai and Matt's face were the true definition of shock: their eyes were wide as saucers, mouths agape, and were completely stunned by what they were seeing in front of them. Tai never suspected Izzy to be the kind who would turn out to be a dope fiend while Matt never expected his brother to get involved in these things. It was TK who convinced him to get clean in the first place and how does he repay him? By smoking dope.

"Well I have never in my life!" Tai was the first one to say anything. He was beyond angry and disappointed at this stage. "What do you two have to say for yourselves?"

With a giggle, Izzy was the first to respond by looking at Tai with a confused look. "What?"

Tai gave Matt a look that confirmed what they already knew. The two of them were beyond stoned.

"What could have possessed the two of you to do this stuff?" Tai demanded. "Weed destroys your brain and turns you into a lunatic."

"Oh I'm sorry," chuckled TK. "Did you guys want some too? There's plenty to go around."

"NO!" Matt answered immediately, his face red with anger that was directed towards his younger brother. "Takeru, I am very disappointed in you. What would Mom say if she were here to see you right now? What would Kari say for that matter? You do remember who Kari is don't you?"

"Of course I do, Matt."

"Who is she?"

After a few giggles, TK finally answered. "She's that girl up in the sky with the diamonds."

That answer made Matt even more furious. "She's your fiancé, stupid! Get your butt out of here." He dragged TK from the floor and out of the room. This left Tai to take care of Izzy.

"How can you exactly get someone's butt out of a room?" Izzy rocked back and forth with a dopey smile on his face. "Does the butt detach itself from the body and then get out? It's a crazy expression, man."

Tai was not amused.

"Who started this whole thing? Was it you, Izzy?" He demanded.

"Yeah," Izzy nodded without hesitation. "I bought a stash of this stuff when we were in Seattle. That stuff is legal there, man."

Tai stood silently for a few seconds before responding. "Here I thought I knew the real you, Izzy, but I guess not. My friend has turned into a dope fiend. You are the Crest of Knowledge for goodness sake! You should know that stuff like this will destroy your brain."

"Oh come off it, Taichi," Izzy retorted back, his incessant giggling never stopping. "My mind is expanding because of this stuff. Already I am feeling more creative than I ever have been in my entire life."

"That's a bunch of crap and you know it, Izzy. Let me give you the facts." Tai paused to make his point. "When the smoke hits the brain, the cells begin to die. Pretty soon you turn into a mindless dope zombie. It will destroy your brain and soon it will be like you don't have one in the first place."

As Izzy went to take a hit from his joint, Tai immediately grabbed it out of his hands and threw it away.

"That'll be enough of that."

He picked him up off the floor and escorted him out of the closet towards the dressing room.

"Hey, Tai," Izzy blurted out. "Do you think God ever made a boob so big that even he can't lift it? It's like he said: 'Let there be boobs' and then there were boobs."

He then burst out laughing as Tai just rolled his eyes in annoyance. Izzy was fried so bad that it was going to take a while for him to come down from it.

* * *

 _JFK Airport_

 _New York City_

 _11:43 pm_

Getting onto the plane that would take them to Boston, Matt and Tai were still angry with TK and Izzy for smoking marijuana. They also felt angry at themselves for not realizing it sooner. If they had known about it before then they surely would have stopped it. The two older members sat closer to the front of the charter plane while the two younger ones opted to sit closer to the back. They knew Matt and Tai were still cross with them so they decided to stay away from them. Kari sat near them.

Tai breathed out a sigh as he plopped himself down in his seat. He was beyond exhausted after delivering a tremendous performance once again and was looking forward to some sleep on the plane before they arrived in Boston a short time later. The wear and tear of the tour was starting to show: he had stubble all over his face due to the fact that he hadn't had the chance to shave in a week, dark circles under his eyes from the lack of sleep, and a more pale complexion than his usual tan one.

"Tired?" Matt asked, looking every bit of exhausted as Tai. His blonde hair was disheveled and growing longer by the day.

"A little bit," Tai replied. "I'm gonna catch some z's on the way to Boston."

"Me too." Matt nodded in agreement. "I'm really tired. You may complain about it but I have to make sure that everything goes right so I don't get much sleep."

"That's commitment."

"Tell me about it."

Exchanging chuckles, the two of them fell silent for a few seconds. Tai broke it.

"Hey Matt, do you miss Christine?" He asked.

Matt raised in eyebrow in curiosity at Tai's question.

"Of course I do, Tai," he replied. "I miss her every day that we are out on the road. I'm thinking of seeing her again before the tour is over. Why do you ask?"

"I'm just wanting to know because I miss my family a lot," Tai slumped further in his chair. "You should have seen Sora's face when I told her that we would be going to America for six months: it was the worst feeling ever. I feel like I'm leaving her behind to raise our son by herself, never to come back home. I don't want Tatsuke to feel like he never had a father in his life."

"That's bullshit, Tai," Matt shook his head. "She knows that you'll be coming home. It's just another few months."

Tai scoffed. "Yeah that's what you said last month too."

"Tai, I know that you miss your family, especially with the earthquake two months ago and all of the recovery efforts going on in that department, but you need to stop feeling like you are abandoning them. You are not doing that at all. It's your job and Sora understands. When Tatsuke grows up, he will understand why you do what you do." Matt tried reasoning with his friend. "How do you think I felt when my parents divorced and I went to live with my dad? Just like you, I felt like I was abandoning TK. He was only four when they separated and I had promised I would protect him but I couldn't do that."

Tears started to streak down Matt's face as he recalled the entire experience, how sad he had been to see his mother and little brother walk away from him and his father as they went their separate ways. It was the worst time of his life and it had a deep psychological effect on him.

"Then we all met at camp and nothing was the same again." A smile began to creep on his face. "When I'm with you guys, I feel like I don't have to be the strong one and put on a brave face to hide that I was hurting inside for years. I love all of you. During our time in the Digital World, you became my family. We still are one to this very day."

Matt wiped his eyes free of tears as they threatened to cascade down his face in a full sob. He sniffled a few times to get himself back under control.

"So no matter where we go or how far, know that even when you are apart from your family, you still have us."

He offered his hand out for a shake. Tai looked at it for a few seconds before shaking his head and wrapping Matt in a tight hug. Matt returned the gesture, feeling Tai's tears soak the crook of his neck. Tai soon pulled away and they looked deep into each other's eyes.

"Whenever people ask about my family, I always say that I have three brothers, not just one." Matt smiled.

Tai nodded with a confident look on his face. "Same here, Matt. You're right. We are all a family, not just the best of friends."

* * *

 **Oh damn, I think I have something in my eye. Knowing that they have each other's backs, will Digivolution finish out the rest of the tour strongly? Find out on the next Digimon: Digital Monsters.**

 **I've been hammering Tai's struggles a little bit more in this story so I decided to let he and Matt pour their hearts out to each other at the end there so we can see how Matt has been struggling as well.**

 **TK and Izzy: naughty, naughty. They should have known better than to get mixed up in marijuana usage. I wouldn't do it myself but I don't care if you do it. I won't judge.**

 **So two chapters to go and I'm sure you guys will enjoy them as much as all of the others. In terms of word length, this is by far my longest story. That is absolutely incredible.**

 **Kindly leave a review as you read, if you please. They motivate me to continue writing for you guys. Whether it's a long review or just a simple 'Good job,' I enjoy them just the same. See you all next time.**


	12. Home Sweet Home

**Sorry for being a little late on chapter delivery. I'm am currently on a trip to California for a week so I won't update again until I am home. In the meantime, enjoy this chapter because the guys finally go home.**

* * *

 _Pacific Coliseum_

 _Vancouver, BC, Canada_

 _September 4_ _th_ _, 2011_

The crowd roared with rousing approval as Digivolution completed a song. The energy in the building was absolutely electric with crowd surfing and mosh pits happening on practically every song. They all had been screaming and singing along throughout the nearly two hours that the band had performed.

Tai ran a hand through his hair to brush it back, a wide smile on his face, shining as bright as the sun. Their last song had finally come and soon they would be able to go home after six months of touring. He was ready for it to finally be over so he could go home and be with his family for the first time in those six months. It was time to unleash the perfect ending song that would end it all. He stepped up to the microphone to interact with the crowd.

"Who wants to hear one last song before we conclude this performance?" He asked the crowd, who roared an overwhelming 'yes.' Tai decided to mess with them a little more. "I don't believe I heard you correctly so I will say it again. Who wants to hear one last song?!"

The roar was even louder than before, causing Tai's grin to grow even wider.

"Alright, alright. We'll do one last song." He chuckled, causing the crowd to laugh with him. "First I just want to say, on behalf of the group, thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you everybody for coming out tonight and sending us off properly. We have had a lot of fun here in North America and it has been nothing short of incredible. It was more than we had even dreamed of. Even though it is our last night of the tour, we have a feeling that we will all be back here again for more soon."

The screams were so loud that Tai could barely hear himself speak. He stood silently for a few seconds as the cheers died down. He switched his Rickenbacker 325 for his black Fernandes Stratocaster, the very same guitar that he first bought all those years ago.

"Alright," he said. "As our time together draws to a close, let's wrap this party up."

He counted off for them to begin the song.

" **When it's time to party, we will party hard."** His voice became distorted as he said it before there was an explosion of hard rock and the pyrotechnics on stage.

The crowd went berserk, jumping and moshing in front of the stage. TK smashed his sticks against the drums and threw his head forward so much that his Vancouver Canucks hat flew off. Confetti flew down from the rafters.

Tai ran around the entire stage as Izzy and Matt followed TK's lead and started head banging. He was tired after two hours of performing: sweat dotted his brow, his hair wet from the sweat and from pouring a bottle of water over his head, and was physically exhausted.

" **You. You work all night. And when you work you don't feel alright."** Tai sang, jumping as he strummed his guitar. " **And we, we can't stop feeling all right, and everything is all right. 'Cause we will never listen to your rules. We will never do what others do. Do what we want and we get it from you. Do what we like and like what we do."**

Izzy and Matt joined him as the chorus hit hard like a punch to the face.

" **So let's get a party going. Let's get a party going. When it's time to party, we will party hard."**

" **Party hard."** Izzy and Matt followed back.

" **Let's get a party going, let's get a party going. When it's time to party, we will always party hard. Party hard."**

" **PARTY HARD!"** Matt and Izzy roared in the microphone as the audience yelled with enthusiasm. It was obvious that this was going to be a finisher that would mark the end of the long tour.

Tai screeched the rest of the song until the very end.

"Thank you all very much for the past few months. We would like to end tonight with one more song. If you know the words, please sing along." Tai said as he started to play a more melodic tone on his guitar, taking a lead position. Matt and Izzy followed suit with the melodic approach as TK tapped the cymbal repeatedly.

" **All that you touch, and all that you see. All that you taste, and all you feel."** Tai spoke like this was the end. The audience was starting to cry, as the band started to blend together to form under the prism that was formed around the stage.

" **All that is now, all that is gone, and all that's to come, and everything under the sun is in tune. But the sun is eclipsed by the moon."** With that, the stage went dark, and the band exited without another word to the crowd. The rainbow from the lights left the stage as the lights came back on.

Tai and the others walked back stage towards their dressing room. Hundreds of fans greeted them with cheers and congratulations, which they accepted gracefully, as they walked through. It was not until they reached their room that they could finally give a collective sigh of relief. TK fell back on his chair, exhausted, as did Izzy. TK's hair was so wet and sweat glistened on his body that it looked like he had gotten out of a sauna.

"Do you really think we're doing the right thing, Tai?" Matt asked Tai as they walked in. "I don't know if this is a good idea."

"I don't know, but all I know for certain is that I'm tired and I want to go home to my wife and son. Thank God this tour is over." Tai said as he plopped on his chair, almost falling backwards towards the floor. This prompted snickering from Izzy and TK.

Tai got up and proceeded to smack them on their heads. "Just because I'm a dad doesn't mean I can't beat you guys up."

The entire room fell silent for a few moments as they accepted the fact that they were able to go home the next day. After six long months, they would get to see their loved ones once again and they were looking forward to it.

Matt used the silence this provided to share his plans. He had wanted to let them know before but he felt now was the perfect time.

"I'm gonna go to Los Angeles to be with Christine for a bit, guys. Which means I won't be going back to Japan with you. I think it's time we take a long break since we've been doing nothing but non-stop record producing and touring."

Matt looks around the others and notices the solemn looks on their faces. "Guys, we all need this. We're tired, strung out, and need a break. It's not being fun right now."

Izzy chimed in. "He's right. I sometimes can't hear a damn thing we play out there. A herd of screaming banshees is all they've become."

TK added, "We keep complicating everything by the sheer fact that we add more light shows to every song now instead of it being great music. We followed KISS and Alice Cooper rather than the Beatles and Judas Priest. It's all a show with music just being the background noise."

That statement got them all thinking in that moment. Since the tour began, their shows had started to get more and more elaborate in terms of pyrotechnics and all the stunts that were being pulled. It was starting to become almost ridiculous. It was becoming more about entertaining rather than delivering great music.

"I think we all need a long rest." Tai said. "Let's take a month or two to get ourselves back in order. Then we will reconvene after Christmas and the New Year and decide what we want to do next."

Matt nodded. "Agreed."

TK and Izzy also voiced their approval of the idea with nods of their heads.

Tai picked up his guitar and marched out of the room. Matt and the others looked with acceptance as they gathered their instruments and ran after him.

* * *

 _Vancouver International Airport_

 _September 5_ _th_ _, 2011_

 _9:14 AM_

After getting through security and getting all of their stuff checked in, it was time for everyone to say goodbye to Matt for a little while. After six months in North America, they were all ready to head back home and be with their loved ones.

"Well Matt," began Tai, trying to keep himself together. "I hope Christine turns out to be the one for you. We'll miss you."

"I'll miss you guys too," replied Matt, a sad smile on his face. "But it will only be for a month or two. I'll be back home before you guys know it."

TK stepped forward this time and embraced his brother in a tight hug. He was so overcome with emotion that as soon as his face hit the material of Matt's shirt, tears began to streak down his face. Matt could feel his little brother's emotions and rubbed the back of his head.

"It's not permanent, Teek." He said. "It's just for a little while."

Sniffling as he tried to get himself back under control, TK looked up into his brother's blue eyes, his own still filled with tears.

"I love you, man," TK whimpered. "It's going to be tough without you being around all the time. It's like when Mom and Dad separated and I went to live with her all over again."

Knowing what his brother was thinking, Matt pulled him into a hug once again.

"But I am not leaving you for good, Teek," he replied. "I'll be back. I promise."

Letting his brother go, TK moved back to join Tai and Izzy. Kari gave her fiancé a comforting hug, knowing what he was going through. Matt looked at Tai, who gave him a wink and that famous Tai Kamiya smile.

"Take care of yourself." Matt said.

Tai nodded in return. "Same to you." He replied.

Readjusting his backpack on his shoulder, Matt walked towards the gate for his flight to Los Angeles, while the rest of the band walked to the international terminal for their flight to Haneda Airport.

* * *

 _Haneda Airport_

 _Tokyo, Japan_

 _12:05 pm_

The fasten seatbelt sign was turned off and automatically the sounds of seatbelts being unlocked filled the air onboard the plane. Tai woke up from his short power nap and began to get ready to get off the plane. He and his two other band mates were in first class thankfully so they wouldn't have to wait very long. Kari was seated in the row beside them, giving Tai a relieved look of her own.

Turning to look at TK and Izzy, he noticed that TK was still fast asleep while Izzy rubbed his eyes. The ten-hour flight took a lot out of them, as long flights usually do, but they were happy and thankful to be back on familiar ground.

"Hey, TK," he said softly, shaking him gently. "Time to wake up. We're home."

Letting out a groan and bringing his hand up to rub his eyes awake, TK finally woke up. Underneath his fedora, his blonde hair was disheveled from the long period of travel. He raised his arms to stretch.

"Thank God above." He said. "You know the first thing I'm gonna do when I get home? I'm going to go sleep in my own bed."

Izzy chuckled. "Well the first thing I'm doing is checking out if my computer needs any software updates. Being gone six months is a long time if you think about it."

His answer caused the other three members of the group to laugh. They knew that was something Izzy would do. He may be a guitar genius but he was still the computer nerd that they met all those years ago.

Not much later, they were able to walk off the plane with their carry-ons and into the terminal. It finally hit them at that moment that they were home. They started to get misty-eyed as they walked down the terminal towards baggage claim.

Tai pulled out his phone to text Sora about what they were doing.

 _Just got off the plane. We're headed to baggage claim. See you there ;-)_

It was not long before he felt his phone go off. He looked down to see her reply.

 _Great. We're here waiting._

That put an extra spring in Tai's step, carrying him several paces ahead of his companions. He never heard their calls for him to slow down as the baggage claim area was in his sights. Scanning around for the sight of his wife's auburn hair, the group finally caught up to him.

"What's the rush, Tai?" Kari asked, hands on her knees as she tried to catch her breath.

Tai didn't even acknowledge her question, still concentrating on finding his wife through the crowd. A slight flash of auburn came out of the corner of his eye and he turned his head back to where he saw it.

' _Sora.'_

The tears finally streamed down his face. His lip quivered. There she was in all her glory, their son in her arms, light seemed to be emanating from her. She hadn't noticed him yet but that would change soon. Simply taking in the sight of her after so long was more than enough for Tai at the moment.

( **A/N: Begin the 'Chariots of Fire theme)**

With a look of pure happiness on his face, he ran towards her with all of the strength his legs could muster after a ten-hour flight. Everything seemed to pass by in slow motion as he saw her turn towards him, the corners of her mouth rising in a bright smile. She handed Tatsuke over to Mimi and waited for her husband to reach her.

His arms opened as he got close to her and once contact was initiated, their lips met in a long, passionate kiss. Six months Tai had waited to hold Sora in his arms. Six months he had waited to kiss her and show her just how much he loved her. He did not have to wait anymore. He held her in his arms for what felt like hours, thinking that it was all a dream and he would wake up at any moment and she would not be there.

He could feel her shaking in his embrace. He caressed the back of her head, wrapping his fingers in her auburn locks, hoping to comfort her.

"I'm home now, honey." He said softly. "I'm home."

He kept repeating that phrase over and over again, trying to convince her and himself that he was now home. Tears continued falling from his eyes, releasing out all the pent-up emotions that he had been holding in from the beginning of the tour.

"You have no idea how much I missed you." Sora wept, overcome with happiness that her husband was finally home. She didn't want to let her husband go. She was afraid that if she did, he would disappear.

Mimi then came over to them with Tatsuke in her arms. The little boy looked at his father with wanting eyes.

"Welcome back, Tai," she smiled. "There's someone here who wants to see you."

Tai turned away from Sora for a brief moment to stare into the brown eyes of his son. More tears fell from his eyes as he looked at his young son, amazed at how big he had gotten since he last saw him. He was ten months old now. Tai couldn't get the baby out of Mimi's arms soon enough and held his son close like he did Sora, kissing the side of his head.

"Daddy's home, buddy." He chuckled as the tears continued falling. "Daddy's home. I love you so much. Yes I do."

Holding him not as close as he just did, Tai kissed his son's forehead. He was home now and he was with his family. Nothing else mattered in the world more than this moment.

A loud squeal from beside him caused Tai to jump back a little. All he could see was Mimi running towards Izzy and leaping into his arms. Izzy was so unprepared for Mimi's display of affection that he fell back to the ground. The two of them laughed as they embraced each other.

TK and Kari then followed as they walked up to Tai and Sora.

"Hey guys," Sora greeted them, giving Kari a hug.

Kari immediately took her nephew into her arms and said hi to him. She happily showed her engagement ring to Sora and Mimi, who demanded it the first moment they saw each other.

Sora looked around for Matt but he was nowhere to be found.

"Where's Matt?" She asked.

"He decided to stay in the U.S. for a little longer," replied TK. "He met a girl when we were in L.A. and I think it's safe to say he's in love with her. He sends his well wishes to you guys."

Sora nodded, happy to hear that Matt had found someone. She could feel a little easier about his and Tai's friendship now that she wouldn't be caught in the middle of their battles.

After getting their bags and other equipment, the group walked out of the baggage claim area about ten minutes later. Before they could go anywhere else, however, Izzy stopped walking.

Mimi notices and walks over to him. "What's wrong, Izzy?"

He smiles. "Nothing's wrong, Mimi." He then cleared his throat before plucking up the courage for what he was going to do next.

"Mimi, I missed you when I was in America." He said. "Everything just felt off without you in my life that I cannot now imagine it without you. I've put a lot of thought into this and I think now is the right time."

Izzy pulled a black box out of his pocket and got down on his knee, causing Sora and Kari to gasp in surprise. Mimi could already feel her eyes getting misty as Izzy took a deep breath before saying those four words that will change their life forever.

"Mimi Tachikawa," he felt himself lose his nerve for a second before getting it back. "Mimi Tachikawa, will you marry me?"

He opened the box to reveal the diamond ring within. It sparkled in the sunlight that came through the windows. The tears finally erupted from Mimi's eyes as she tried to hold back her sobs.

"Yes." She croaked. "Yes, Izzy. I will marry you."

Overcome with emotion, she embraced him before giving him a kiss. Izzy put the ring on her finger as they continued to look deep into each other's eyes.

His two band mates walked up to them, happy for their friends.

"Why didn't you tell me that you were thinking of asking Mimi to marry you, Iz?" Tai asked, wrapping an arm around Izzy's neck.

"I wanted it to be a surprise." He replied.

"Well it was sure a surprise, I'll tell you that much." TK chuckled, embracing Izzy as well. "I'll just have to make sure I tell Mimi all your dirty secrets from tour."

Izzy's face paled, knowing what TK was talking about.

"If you do that, I'll tell Kari." He retorted.

"You wouldn't!"

"Try me!"

While the two of them argued, Tai went back to Sora and Tatsuke.

"What were they talking about?" Sora asked.

"I'll tell you about it later." He replied, placing an arm around the shoulder that did not have Tatsuke on it. He kissed his son once more before kissing his wife. "I will never be away from you guys for that long ever again. I promise."

"You may have to be, Tai," his wife replied. "I know you feel guilty about it but it's your job. You love doing it."

He blushed in embarrassment. While he would have relished the opportunity to brag when he was younger, he was a man now and he had learned to be more humble about things as he aged.

"I do like it," he nodded. "But I like being married to you and being a dad more than that."

"Oh Tai." She snickered before kissing him.

* * *

 **Now that they are home, what does the future hold for the band? Find out on the next Digimon: Digital Monsters**

 **The reunion between Tai and Sora almost had me in tears just writing it. It was so beautiful. Izzy and Mimi get engaged! Yay! Songs belong to Pink Floyd and Andrew WK, not me.**

 **So again, I probably won't update again for another week or so due to my trip but I will not rest until this last chapter is done. Leave a review as you read and I will see you guys next time.**


	13. The End

**A/N: I'm back from my trip so here is a new chapter for you guys. This is the last chapter. It has been a fun ride writing this story over the past month and I cannot believe how it has turned out, beyond my wildest dreams. I hope it was good for all of you and thank you for your reviews and support.**

 **I won't keep you waiting any longer. Here is the end.**

* * *

 _Tokyo Dome_

 _July 12, 2017_

"Domo arigato, Tokyo. Good night!"

The crowd roared as Digivolution ran off the stage after giving a tremendous performance at the Tokyo Dome. Ever since the big American tour of 2011, they agreed to do less time-consuming tours, ones that would go over three months and extend as long as a year.

Tai was about ready to quit the band if they did another tour like that so Matt relented on scheduling tours that were not as long. It seemed to work because they were already happier than they had ever been in their careers and looked forward to what the future held for them.

Tai immediately grabbed the towel that was waiting for him from a table and wiped the sweat off of his face. It had been a whirlwind of activity lately that it was hard for him to keep up with it. He and Sora just had their second child three months ago, a daughter they named Sakura. The band released their fifth album, _Ultimate,_ around that same time and while it was not selling as much as _Second Coming,_ which ended up selling over 30 million copies worldwide, it was still selling well.

"Daddy!"

A smile came on Tai's face as he saw his son, Tatsuke, running towards him with his arms open. Tai bent down and picked his son up in his arms as Tatsuke ran into them. The little boy was now six years old and looked so much like he did at that age that it even amazed Tai.

"He's your son." Sora had said, and she was right. Tatsuke was a mini version of Tai: same wild brown hair, same sweet, courageous, and rambunctious personality, which gave his parents a lot of heartache on plenty of occasions. The only thing he seemed to get from Sora was his ability to keep a much more level head than his dad at that age.

"Hey buddy," Tai greeted his son as he walked back to the dressing room with him in his arms. "Did you like the show?"

Tatsuke nodded with a beaming smile. "You were awesome!" He screamed before wrapping his arms around his father's neck, causing Tai to give a startled yelp. "Daddy, do you like being a rock star?"

Tai ruffled his son's hair with a chuckle. "Of course I do." He replied. "But I like being yours and Sakura's dad and being married to your mom even more than that. Now let's go find our lovely ladies."

Tatsuke smiled with satisfaction at his father's words. Despite his young age, he knew just how much that his father loved him and he loved him just as much in return. Sure it was hard when his dad had to leave him and his mom but it was his job and he learned that very early on. When Tai was home, his attention was always on his family. Whenever Tatsuke asked his dad to play with him, Tai would drop what he was doing and play with him.

It did not take long before the father and son duo reached the dressing room. Sora stood at the entrance to the room, their three-month-old daughter in her arms, anxious to see her husband.

"I see you found our son." She gestured to the boy in his arms.

"It's fine. He just wanted to see me." Tai shrugged. He was so happy to see his wife that he gave her a kiss right away. "How'd I do?"

"You were great." Sora smiled. "Though you did mess up that one line during the middle song."

Tai mocked offence at that statement. "We're big enough that it doesn't really matter anymore if we mess up the songs. Mick Jagger botches the lyrics a lot these days and no one cares." He cried.

She giggles at her handiwork. Even after all these years together, she could still get his goat in more ways than one. A mumbling coming from her arms caused the both of them to look down at the baby that was there. Tai's face brightened a little more.

"Want to switch me kids?" He asked, a teasing look on his face.

She nodded. Tai put his son down so that Sora could give him their daughter. As soon as her little face was in his sight, Tai immediately changed and cooed softly to the baby in his arms. Sakura looked just like her mother with the same auburn hair and crimson eyes, though Tai saw a lot of himself when she smiled. It's funny how things like that work when one child looks like one parent but has several aspects of the other as well.

"Alright. Daddy's going to go change out of these nasty, sweaty clothes," he whispered to his daughter. "He'll be back soon."

He carefully handed Sakura back to Sora.

"I'll see you guys later." He said. "I've gotta change real quick and help load up before I can see you."

"We'll be waiting for you." Sora gave him a kiss on the cheek, which he returned with a lip lock. Tatsuke gave a cry of disgust as he saw his parents kissing, causing the both of them to laugh.

Tai watched as Sora walked away with Tatsuke by her side before entering the dressing room. His band mates were scattered all over the room; TK was slouched on the chair in front of his vanity, looking like he was about to fall asleep with a towel placed over his face. Izzy was seated on the couch and drinking a bottle of water with Matt.

"Good show, guys." He said as he sat down on the chair opposite the couch. "I think that was one of our best performances ever. The crowd freakin' loved us like they always do."

Izzy nodded. "I agree. It was prodigious."

"Yup," said Matt. "Just one more show here and then we get ready to head to Osaka for the three shows next week. After that, we go to Fukuoka, Nagasaki, Hiroshima, and then off to Korea."

TK and Izzy nodded in understanding, ready to continue the rest of the tour. As Matt turned to Tai, however, he gave a look of concern. Tai looked like he was deep in thought at the moment, which made Matt feel uneasy.

"Tai?" He asked. "You ok?"

Snapping out of his thoughts, Tai shook his head. Taking a deep breath, he gave his answer.

"I'm fine." He said. "But I'm afraid I have some bad news."

Izzy and TK sat a little straighter, interested in finding out what it is. Matt's uneasy feeling intensified as he waited for Tai's explanation. From what he felt, it did not seem he was going to like what Tai had to say.

"What is it, dude?"

Finally getting a grip on the words that he was going to say, Tai said the two words that would change everything.

"I'm quitting."

The room got so quiet that a pin drop could be heard. It took a few seconds for the shock to register on their faces but once it did, they couldn't believe it.

"What?" Matt choked out, not sure whether Tai was kidding or if he was serious.

Tai nodded. "You heard me. I'm done. I'm leaving the band."

This stuck more daggers into Matt's heart. The look of pure heartbreak on his face was one that Tai probably will never get out of his mind. Matt's blue eyes look soulless and had the beginnings of tears pooling. After twelve years together, Tai was just going to walk out on them? Izzy and TK also looked like they couldn't believe it, judging by their shell-shocked looks.

"You're just gonna leave?" Matt asked, anger rising in his system. His nostrils started to flare and his gritted teeth became visible. "After everything we've done together, after all of the success? What happened, Tai?"

Thoughts of his family went through Tai's head: waking up beside Sora every morning, seeing Tatsuke run to greet him and give him a hug, even waking up in the wee hours to check on Sakura. All of these things were the most precious things in the world to him that it didn't matter if he was in a band anymore.

"Nothing," he said, not looking his friend in the eye. "Things changed and I changed as well. While all of this fame is great, I want to live a normal life with my family. I want to see Tatsuke and Sakura grow up and have families of their own someday. I want to grow old with Sora and reflect on the good times we had together. Things that normal men do when they get married and have children."

He took a deep breath before looking Matt in the eye this time. "Matt, you know what I'm talking about, right? Don't you want to be around Lucas and Carter enough that they actually feel like they have a relationship with you when they're older?" He asked, referencing to Matt's two young sons.

Matt looked down at the ground, having been hit in the heart hard with that statement. Two years ago, he and Christine had their twin sons, Lucas and Carter, and they were the most important things in his life. He loved them like he never loved anyone else before and he did not want to repeat the mistakes of his parents. Now that he was a father, Matt felt like he was able to relate to Tai's struggles.

Closing his eyes in thought, taking several deep breaths through his nose, Matt knew what had to be done at that moment. TK and Izzy may not like it but it was the right thing to do.

"Then I guess this is the end of us." He said.

"What? No!" Izzy and TK cried in protest. They looked beside themselves with helpless looks on their faces, like liberals on Election Night.

"Can't we talk about this, Matt?" TK pleaded to his brother. "Let's not make any hasty decisions. We can find a way to replace Tai if he wants to leave."

"He's right," Izzy nodded in agreement. "Bands like AC/DC were still able to continue on after losing a vital member of their group. No reason to think we can't do the same."

"Guys, we can't continue on without an important member. It wouldn't be the same." Matt explained. "It's like when Bonzo died and Led Zeppelin decided to discontinue the band without him. But I do have one request, Tai."

"What's that?"

"Let's do one more single and a farewell concert before we break up."

Tai looked at Matt's face and saw the pleading expression on it. As much as he wanted to be out of the band immediately, he knew that they owed it to the fans that had stayed with them for so long to give them a parting gift.

"Ok," he nodded, relenting to Matt's request. "That sounds fair enough to me."

Matt nodded in return.

"We'll get in the studio this weekend to record a new song. I'll let the promoters know that we intend to cancel the remaining dates so we can set up a farewell concert for next week. I'll call a press conference for tomorrow so we can make the announcement." He said.

Tai smiled at Matt's understanding. This was why he was his best friend, even though they tended to fight a lot. He guessed this was just their way of showing affection for each other.

"Thank you, Matt."

* * *

 _Tokyo Hilton_

 _Odaiba_

 _July 13_ _th_ _, 2017_

The camera flashes went off while reporters sat in endless anticipation of the announcement from Digivolution and regards to their future. After delivering an amazing concert the previous night, spirits were high among the reporters as to what it could be.

Soon their patience was rewarded when the four members of the band came up onto the stage and sat down at the table, microphones lined up in front of each member as well as bottles of water. Matt spoke first.

"Good morning, everyone, and I want to thank you for coming out." He said, clearing his throat with a sip of water. "I hope you all are having a good day and are enjoying the free food we have here. We'll take your questions after I've finished."

The group of reporters laughed at his attempt at humor, which brought a smile to Matt's face.

"Never mind the humor now because it's time for why you all have been called here. The group and I have an announcement to make. Due to the fact that Tai has made his intentions known that he wants to leave the group, we have decided it was in our best interest to discontinue the band."

A collective gasp went through the entire room. It seemed that every single reporter there was caught off guard by the announcement. They thought that this was surely a joke and Matt would say it was after he finished. Matt's serious look confirmed their worst nightmare.

"Now we will release one more single and give a farewell concert before we disband. The date for the concert will be confirmed very soon and we will release it when it does. It's a long, hard, and exciting road that we have been on for the past twelve years and the group and I would like to thank each and every one of you for your support during that time. Wherever we go in this next chapter, we will always be friends to the very end. Thank you."

Applause resounded throughout the room after Matt stepped away from the podium. Their media relation coordinator then stepped up.

"The group will now take your questions."

Hands immediately went up with many in the crowd hoping to be chosen to ask their question. Matt immediately pointed to a reporter that was seated up front to the left, a slender man in his 30's.

"This question is for Tai," he said. "Tai, what made you decide to leave the group?"

Tai leaned forward so he could reach the microphone and answer the question.

"I decided to leave the group in order to spend more time with my family." He replied. "I have a six-year-old son and a newborn daughter now and I feel like I barely know them sometimes. Sure the band is great and all but what is the point of all this fame if you don't have anyone to share it with?"

Another reporter was called on. This one asked about if there was any underlying tension within the group that eventually led to this decision, which they of course vehemently denied. The rest of the press conference went on that same way with the reporters looking for a juicy reason why the band was breaking up, rather than just accepting that they just wanted to break up because they wanted to. They even went so far as to suggest that either Matt or Tai was sleeping with the other's wife behind their back.

Once it was all finished, Tai turned to Matt and whispered to him, "I sure will not miss any of that when we're done."

* * *

 _Nippon Budokan_

 _Tokyo_

 _September 20_ _th_ _, 2017_

With the roar of the crowd reaching a breaking point, Tai felt it hard to believe that this would be their final concert together. Once the news hit that this would be their last concert, the reaction was almost immediate. Fans expressed their shock, anger, disbelief, and sadness over social media. Tai was getting most of the flak but he was steadfast in what he believed because he knew what he was doing was the right decision. He didn't regret it in the slightest and knew that the fans would get over it eventually.

As the group came back onstage for the encore, the four of them felt the tears beginning to pool in their eyes for they knew what this meant. It was the last song that they would ever play together on the same stage. What better way to end it than with their brand new single, which jumped straight to number one in Japan when it was released, they also heard that it reached number one in America.

Gripping his new blue Ibanez SA series guitar in his hand, Tai was trying desperately to keep his emotions under control as he delivered one last speech to the crowd.

"Thank you all for coming out tonight, everyone." He said, causing the crowd to scream. "You have no idea how much we appreciate all of you. Without you, we would not be the band that we are now. So on behalf of the group and myself, I would like to say thank you for all your love and support."

He sniffled as he started feeling his throat tighten and tears threaten to fall down his face. Looking out in the audience, he could see many others with tears running down their faces and several girls bawling uncontrollably on either their husband, father, or boyfriend's shoulder.

"We have had many great times on this stage and also several trying times but we would not take anything back." He turned to Matt. "Isn't that right, Matt?"

Matt nodded his head before stepping up to the mic.

"You bet, Tai." He said, tears falling down his face.

"So before we say so long, we would like to sing one more song for you." Tai pushed some of his hair out of his eyes before gripping his guitar neck with a death grip. "This is our latest single and has been at number one for the last six weeks."

Knowing what song he was hinting at, the crowd screamed even louder than before. TK started counting off by hitting the hi-hats.

" **Don't fail me now, beautiful wings. You're my life. You're my everything. We can fly if you believe, oh…my…love.** " Tai sang as the song then kicked into gear with Matt and Izzy jumping and bouncing around on the stage. The floor crowd was already jumping up and down and several people were surfing the crowd as well.

" **Ready to ride the wind now, I'm a butterfly letting my wings out. My friend, I can't wait to see you again. Letting go of my worries. Make way I'm in a hurry. Right now, there's no time for fooling around."**

Tai then raised his arm and swung it left and right, the audience copying him instantly, as he sang the pre-chorus.

" **Tell me whoa whoa whoa. Can I soar through the skies above? Oh I don't know if I'll ever see the tomorrow I'm dreaming of."**

Izzy did a quick riff before he and Matt stepped up to their mics to join Tai on the chorus.

" **Feels like my faith is lifting away. This nightmare's got me losing my way. When will it ever end? I've got to stay strong to keep the love going. Don't fail me now, beautiful wings. You're my life. You're my everything. We can fly if you believe, oh…my…love."** They all sang together.

The rest of the song was an energy release as the band left everything out on the stage one last time. Izzy shredded a solo towards the end of the song that Eddie Van Halen would have been proud of.

As the last sounds of the song drifted off, Tai thanked the crowd once again and the lights went down. The crowd was still cheering, wanting to hold on to this moment for just a few moments longer, knowing that they will never get the chance to see them again.

The lights turned on once again with all four members embracing each other. While Tai was relieved that it was over, he also couldn't stop himself from crying. Matt had to console him because of how hard he was crying. After they let out their appreciation for each other, they turned towards the audience and gave one final bow. As they walked off the stage, the sounds of the Friends theme song went through the entire arena. Digivolution was now officially over.

* * *

 **A/N: I cannot believe this is the end. It's over…NOT YET! There is still an epilogue to go and that will be out very soon. You can bet your bottom dollar. The song I used here was an English translation of Kouji Wada's Butterfly, the Tri version that is, so the credit goes to the guys who did that.**

 **Be sure to leave a review with what you thought of the whole story. It lets me know whether I've done a great job or not. See you guys next time where we find out what eventually happens to them after they go their separate ways.**


	14. Epilogue- Hall of Fame

**A/N: So here is the epilogue. Hope you all enjoy it.**

* * *

 _Fifteen Years Later_

After that last magical night at Budokan, Digivolution split up the next day, going their own ways and living out their lives. If you asked them now about their time in the band, they would always look back on it with fondness and plenty of stories to tell.

So what ended up happening to them, you may ask?

Matt moved to Los Angeles to live with Christine and their twin sons. He became a highly sought-after record producer and ended up producing for several acts such as the Dropkick Murphys, the Offspring, and even Korn. He even got to work alongside Mutt Lange on a project he was working on, which was a lifelong dream for him. Soon he found a hot new band, fittingly called the New Digi, and ended up producing their first four records. He and Christine have been happily married and have two daughters in addition to Lucas and Carter.

Izzy became a session guitarist and played on several songs that became hits both in Japan and across the Pacific in the United States. He also doubles as Mimi's guitarist and co-songwriter whenever she works on a project. She has become one of the highest-selling female acts to ever come out of Japan with him in the fold. Aside from music, the two of them live in an apartment in New York City with their two children.

TK and Kari formed a ska band in the vein of No Doubt with several other musicians that TK had come in contact with during his time with the band. He of course played the drums. They ended up having several hits and four multi-platinum albums until they found out that Kari was pregnant. Not wanting to have to choose between her career and a family, Kari quit the music industry so she could raise her and TK's child. Since then, he has become a session drummer and plays live with the New Digi, which was made up of the second group of Digidestined. He and Kari have two children and live in Odaiba.

Tai and Sora became very busy after he retired from music: four years after the break up, they welcomed another child into the world, a son that they named Kai. Sora took over her family's flower shop and she and Tai run it together. Tai also opened a music store that he called 'Musical Epicenter.' It focuses on equipment and gear but he also teaches lessons there as well. He keeps all of his memorabilia from the band at the shop rather than at home. He does not regret quitting the band, even though he gets asked about it all the time.

Their son Tatsuke is in his last year of college and is looking to get a degree in business, while their daughter Sakura is starting her first year of high school.

The group is constantly asked if they will ever reunite on the same stage again but the answer is always the same: it would depend on Tai and what he wanted to do. If they wanted to reunite, it would happen with all four of them or not at all.

* * *

 _Radio City Music Hall_

 _New York City_

 _April 8_ _th_ _, 2032_

"Our next inductees showed that bands from the East could become stars in the West. Their infectious songs and high-energy stage performances all wowed and amazed those who saw them, but it was what was underneath that made them one of the greatest rock groups of the 21st century. To them, friendship and family were among the most important things and they never lost sight of that. They were friends on stage and they were family off of it. It is an honor to induct into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame, Class of 2032, Digivolution."

Thunderous applause echoed throughout the entire hall as the four members of Digivolution were reunited for the first time in years. They walked from the various sections they were in towards the front of the stage. Tai gave Sora a hug and kiss and proceeded to do the same for his children.

"Congratulations, Dad." Tatsuke said as he hugged his father. "I love you so much."

"Thanks, son." Tai smiled as tears began to slide down his face. He embraced Sakura and Kai before walking down the aisle.

Matt, Izzy, and TK all embraced their families as well before joining Tai at the stage. The presenters gave them the honorary trophies that the Hall of Fame gives out to each of their inductees. Looking out at the crowd and seeing them all still on their feet, the guys were having a hard time not breaking down in tears. Never would they imagine that they would be in this moment when they first started out. It felt like a dream to them.

TK stepped up to the microphone first to give his speech.

"Wow. Ok, I just have to say this really quick before it escapes me: I thought I was more likely to land on the moon than get in the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame." He giggled, the audience laughing along with him. "I can speak for the rest of the guys when I say that we never expected to be here when we were first starting out. We just wanted to play music together and it just took us on a great odyssey that has culminated into this moment."

He pointed to Matt, giving his brother a smile. "I want to thank my brother and best friend, Matt, for giving me the opportunity of a lifetime to be a member in this new band he was forming. Though I still do not appreciate you kissing me full on the lips for saying I would join."

Laughter resounded throughout the room while Matt couldn't help but chuckle.

"Just thank you to everybody who has ever helped us get to this point. I want to thank my parents for being supportive of us. I know being divorced and raising two sons was not easy but they still did a hell of a job. They couldn't make it today so I want to send my love to them. Kari, my best friend for the last eighteen years, I love you. My kids, Jamie and Karina, I love you both so much. Thank you all."

He stepped away from the mic and received a warm round of applause. Izzy took his turn, pulling out the piece of paper from his jacket pocket.

"Here I thought I was going to be the next Steve Jobs in the Jobs-Wozniak combination with my friend before I joined the band," he started. "I was the biggest computer nerd that anyone could ever meet when I was younger. I still am. Who ever thought a computer nerd would become a rock star?"

He chuckled, along with several others in the audience.

"It was not until I met these three guys at summer camp when I was ten years old that things began to change. Ever since then, they have been my best friends and I would not change anything that has happened. For those of you who don't know, my biological parents died when I was a baby and I was adopted by my parents, who are here tonight." He scanned the audience and found them sitting next to Mimi. His dad had the proudest look on his face while his mother was bawling into a handkerchief.

"I love you guys so much and am proud to be your son. There's too many people that I want to thank and not enough time so I'm just going to rattle off some names: Daigo Nishijima, our manager, the people at Virgin Records Japan for taking a chance at signing us, all the fans, my wife and children, I love you so much, and all of you who are here today. Thank you one and all. This was an incredibly prodigious ride we were on for twelve years and you made it more special for each and every one of us." He bowed and raised a fist in the air as the crowd exploded in applause.

Tai then took his turn. He immediately spotted his family and smiled to himself. The crowd stood up and cheered for him, chanting his name as well.

"Thank you," he said. "Thank you. Thank you to all of you. Without you, the fans, we would not be here today. I have some stories that I want to tell before I get to thanking everybody."

"Oh boy. Here we go." Izzy rolled his eyes.

"Izzy, shut up." Tai pointed a finger at him with a good-natured smile. "You had your turn to talk and now it's my turn."

He snorted in laughter before gathering himself to say what he wanted to say next. "It's a pretty funny story how I first joined the band. I was sitting in the bathtub and…" Murmurs went through the crowd, obviously jumping to conclusions. "No you're gonna love this. I was sitting in the bathtub and I was shaving. I even sang it like in that Drake and Josh episode when Josh did the same thing. I get a call at that moment, and it is Matt. Before he said anything else, the first thing he said was 'Were you shaving in the bathtub and singing about it again?'"

The crowd erupted into laughter and even Matt was having a hard time keeping his laughter down beside Tai.

"Like how did he even know I was doing it? Then he goes on about this new band he was forming and how he wanted me to be a part of it. I didn't know how to even play a triangle, let alone a guitar, at the time so I wasn't sure. Eventually I said yes and as they say, the rest is history." Tai finished his story. "So that just goes to show that one call can make all the difference in your life."

Taking a deep breath to prepare for the next part of his speech, Tai knew this one would be emotional. He always choked up when he would read it over.

"Music has the power to change people's lives, for it surely changed mine. Never in a million years would I have thought I would be here tonight. I always thought I would be the Japanese Pelé when I was younger but life has a funny way of changing your plans. Thank you to all our management, you guys managed to keep four kids with giant egos happy. Thank you once again to the fans, without you we would not be here right now." Pausing for the applause, Tai then started to get rolling. "I also want to thank my parents, I love you guys even though Mom still can't cook to save her life; my rehabilitation counselor and our manager, Daigo Nishijima, without whom I probably would not be here before you today; Tatsuke, Sakura, and Kai, my children, I love you three more than words could ever say and you are the reason I do what I do every day."

A smirk played on his face as he came to the last person he wanted to thank above all else. "And to the woman who makes me feel special every single day. Sora, you are the greatest thing that ever happened to me. I know it was not easy raising our kids when I was gone but you managed to do it and now they are the most wonderful human beings I have ever known. I love you with every single bit of my being and I will never let you go again. You're the best, honey. I do not regret the decision I made because being a good husband and father was all that mattered to me, it still does. Thank you, everybody, and God bless."

Applause greeted Tai as he stepped away and Matt prepared to give his speech.

"After all those great speeches, I'll try to keep mine as short as possible." He chuckled, along with many in the audience. "People ask me all the time if I knew I would end up in the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame but I always say that while it would be an honor, it would not mean much to me. Now that I am here, I can say that it does mean a lot to me. My first band, the Teenage Wolves, was the first sign that I knew I wanted to be serious about music. Eventually that band broke up and I formed Knife of Day my junior year of high school; the same thing happened with that band. Desperate to keep my dream alive, I piled the three guys you see on stage with me tonight and we went at it. After the first show, I could sense something special brewing and then it all just snowballed from there."

Taking a deep breath, Matt knew he had to explore the dark side of it too. "Even though we were becoming successful, I was still a jealous mess. You see, before Tai married Sora, she and I dated for about a year until we decided to call it quits. Even though we agreed to break up, I was still reeling from the end of the relationship. Once she and Tai started getting together, I was jealous that Tai now had what I didn't anymore and that kind of pushed me over the edge. I started using heroin to numb the pain and my and Tai's relationship became very volatile. As I look back on it now, I am ashamed of some of the choices I made but it made us stronger as a group and as friends. So while there are some things I wish I could take back, I would not change anything that happened to us. Everything happens for a reason and I believe that all the struggles we went through were to teach us to be more understanding of each other."

Resounding applause echoed throughout the entire hall after that section. There were several people wiping their eyes due to the power of his words.

"And now to all the people that I want to thank: our manager, though he has been said a lot thus far, Daigo; my mom and dad; all my friends, including these three standing here with me; my wife Christine and my four children, I love you all; and especially, thank you to all of you for your support. As Tai said, we would not be here if it were not for you. Good night, everybody, and thank you."

The crowd stood in a standing ovation as the four members of Digivolution waved to them. They embraced each other once more and then walked off the stage. Looking back on their time with each other, they realized that all that they learned over the years helped mold them into the men they are today. Through the struggles of addiction, they learned to be more understanding of each other. Through the clashes of egos between Tai and Matt, they learned to share the spotlight together. There were many other things that they had learned but they all shared one thing in common: it helped make them stronger and they would carry those things for the rest of their lives.

 **A/N: And just like that, we are now done. Hope you guys enjoyed reading this story as much as I have writing it. I'll be back soon with my new story. Leave a review with your feelings about the story. I love you all.**


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